Antoine Semenyo’s Manchester City career began emphatically as he dovetailed into Pep Guardiola’s rampant outfit in the FA Cup, scoring and assisting in the 10-1 rout over League One’s Exeter City.
It was the perfect start for the Ghana international, who left Bournemouth for the Citizens in an initial £62.5m package earlier this week. Ten goals and three assists in the Premier League this term only tell part of the tale concerning one of the division’s most dangerous forwards.
But with that one wrapped up, Pep is now determined to fix his side’s defensive problems, of which there are more than a few.
Man City plan on signing a defender
Max Alleyne scored against Exeter as his fine form continued for Man City, recalled from his loan spell with Watford following lengthy injuries to Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol.
Arsenal’s recent draw at home against struggling champions Liverpool reminded everyone that the Premier League title race is very much open. Guardiola knows a thing or two about playing chase at the business end.
And according to Spanish sources, the manager wants to reinforce his backline ahead of the charge with the addition of Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi, who is out of contract at the end of the season.
The Three Lions centre-back is also being courted by Arsenal and Liverpool, so City have looked to get a step ahead by lodging a £20m bid this month.
Why City should sign Marc Guehi
Guehi might have been slain last time out, along with his Crystal Palace teammates, in an FA Cup giant-killing, but that defeat at Maccersfield Town was not an accurate reflection of one of the Premier League’s best defenders.
Analyst Raj Chohan remarked last year that the 25-year-old’s “decision-making on and off the ball is immense”, and there’s no question that he has fostered a ball-playing aptitude in Oliver Glasner’s system.
Should City get this one over the line, it could be a deal with shades of a one-time move for a Tottenham Hotspur talent named Kyle Walker, who moved to Pep’s project for an initial £45m fee in July 2017.
The former England international had plenty of experience on the Premier League stage, like Guehi, but the transfer to Guardiola’s project helped spark gears he did not know he had to pull, described as “one of the greatest full-backs ever” by his former Spanish boss.
Walker, now 35 and seeing out the twilight of his career with Burnley, was one of the finest full-backs in the world in his day, and that move from Spurs to Manchester helped elevate him to that status.
Guehi might not be a full-back, but he’s already regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League, hailed as a “monster in defence” by Eagles correspondent Bobby Manzi after one effort on the international stage with Gareth Southgate’s England.
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And like Walker, his natural ease and progressiveness would develop to a world-class standard if welcomed to Pep’s City brood. There is a reason why up-and-comers like Semenyo and Guehi look to move to the Spaniard’s project over other top-class suitors.
Marc Guehi in the Premier League (25/26)
Stats (* per game)
#
Matches (starts)
20 (20)
Goals + Assists
2 + 2
Clean sheets
7
Touches*
67.0
Accurate passes*
45.4 (85%)
Big chances created
4
Ball recoveries*
4.4
Tackles + interceptions*
2.8
Clearances*
5.2
Ground duels (won)*
2.5 (63%)
Aerial duels (won)*
2.7 (65%)
Data via Sofascore
Guehi is a title-winning defender, one of the best in the Premier League. He has yet to learn the craft from Guardiola’s perspective. Just imagine how he could improve if he were welcomed this month.
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