Manchester City have had a roller coaster of a season so for where the fans have sometimes seen Pep Guardiola’s tactics carving open opponent’s defence like a fruit and also succumbing to the directness of the League pretty easily at the same time.
Guardiola’s style of play always needed technically gifted players, who excel in close ball control and immaculate passing, to execute his game plan. And the lack of such players has made City suffer hugely this season. Ilkay Gundogan’s season-ending injury has further harmed it and we expect the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager to bring in a host of big names next summer to get things on track.
According to the Guardian, Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere is one of his primary targets next summer as he aims to add more quality to his midfield. Former Barcelona player Xavi is known to be an admirer of the English player, who is believed to share the Barcelona blueprint in his style of play and could be best nurtured by Guardiola.
A move is possible even more because the 25-year-old now seems to have overcome his injury curse that has repeatedly hindered his progress at Arsenal over the years. He is currently playing on loan with AFC Bournemouth under Eddie Howe, a manager who shares a similar playing philosophy of beautiful football, like that of Guardiola and Arsene Wenger. Wilshere was voted the player of the month by Bournemouth fans in November and has established himself as Cherries’ first-choice playmaker.
Wilshere’s ability to find the perfect ball up front blended with his combative attribute to win the ball in dangerous positions make him an invaluable player when fit. And Manchester City are banking on it. Wilshere has completed 693 passes this season with a passing accuracy of 85%, of which 69% have been forward passes. He has won 60% of his average duels this season and given the advanced position where Howe has mostly deployed him this season, his stats seem quite impressive.
At 25, Wilshere has played 139 games in the Premier League but his susceptibility to soft knocks has often kept him out for the major part of the seasons, thwarting his progress.
A product of Arsenal’s youth academy, Wilshere has been an ever-present figure in the club for the past seven years. Apart from one small loan stint at Bolton Wanderers in 2010, where he scored and assisted once in 14 appearances, he has been an important factor in Wenger’s plans. And it is highly doubted if Arsenal will be willing to let one of their star players leave to another title contender.
