Manchester City’s season began going downhill when Rodri went down injured against Arsenal, the game ending in a 2-2 draw, but bad news also followed that Rodri will likely be out for the entire season.
Pep Guardiola’s have rallied in recent weeks and now find themselves fifth in the Premier League after 22 games played, two points off fourth place Chelsea and a whopping 12 points off table toppers Liverpool.
With their midfield injury concerns, the Citizens could look to recruit in this area during the January window, in order to ensure they have a strong second half of the season and achieve Champions League qualification.
Man City chasing Douglas Luiz move
According to reports from GIVEMESPORT, Manchester City are lining up a double swoop for Juventus stars, Andrea Cambiaso and Douglas Luiz.
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Having already signed Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Omar Marmoush, Guardiola’s side are still interested in improving their side ahead of the second half of the season.
Other clubs are said to be interested in the 26-year-old midfielder, including the likes of Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester United and even Aston Villa, who could be interested in bringing Luiz back to the club just six months later.
Luiz has made 17 appearances since joining Juventus in the summer but has yet to provide a goal or assist in his 550 minutes played. Most of his minutes have been coming from the bench, which could open the door for a Premier League return this month.
Who Man City should sign instead of Douglas Luiz
There could perhaps be an even better option for Manchester City in midfield, to make a signing that not only replaces Rodri for the now but can also be the long-term heir to his throne in the heart of the City midfield. That is, of course, Real Madrid’s, Aurelien Tchouameni.
Linked with a £67m move for the 24-year-old Frenchman in recent weeks, he has made 24 appearances for Madrid this season, providing one assist, contributing to six clean sheets and totalling 1,906 minutes played.
Tchouameni’s primary job is to protect the back line, defend against transitions and then dictate play from deeper areas, which is exactly what City need to replace Rodri.
When analysing the three midfielders – Tchouameni this season, Rodri and Luiz last season due to minutes played – you can see why the former could be the better option, not only bringing slightly better progressive passing numbers in deeper areas but also the defensive quality needed to put out fires when the opposition attack in transition.
Goals + Assists
0.04
0.41
0.48
Progressive Carries
0.74
1.77
2.88
Progressive Passes
6.57
5.31
12.4
Passes Attempted
69.9
63.9
114.7
Pass Completion %
92.9%
85.8%
91.9%
Passes into Final Third
6.69
4.43
11.9
Tackles
1.94
1.68
2.10
Blocks
1.14
0.86
0.85
Interceptions
1.53
0.60
0.73
Aerial Duels Won
1.66
0.72
1.48
Luiz ranks closer to Rodri in terms of progressive carries and G/A per 90, but apart from that, Tchouameni rates above Luiz in all other metrics, sitting closer to the Spaniard and what Manchester City will need in the second half of this campaign to replace him.
The “world-class” ace, as labelled by Transfermarkt’s Stefan Bienkowski, could also work alongside Rodri when he returns, potentially forming one of the best midfield partnerships in world football.
Both Luiz and Tchouameni would be brilliant signings for City, bringing much-needed midfield reinforcement to the squad, but perhaps the Real Madrid man would be worth the extra investment, planning for not just now, but also the future.
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