If reports are to be believed, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has planned to hold talks with France’s latest sensation, Kylian Mbappe this summer as speculations surrounding the 18-year-old increase every week. The AS Monaco starlet has come to the fore as one of Europe’s finest talents up front and European giants like Arsenal and Real Madrid are known to have even tabled astronomical bids for the player.
Pep Guardiola had a nightmarish season in his debut campaign in the Premier League as his star-studded side finished in the third position with absolutely no new trophy to add to the cabinet. And after his tactical experimentations and squad reshuffling couldn’t churn out anything whatsoever, he has turned to the only path that has guaranteed him trophies so far; emptying the club’s bank.
However, that too would have been far more justifiable if the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager spent to beef up his back line. It is one of the most obvious things to do after releasing the likes of Willy Caballero, Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy, Pablo Zabaleta and Jesus Navas this summer, who have all contributed defensively last season.
Instead, the first signing that City did was of AS Monaco’s Bernardo Silva, who is a winger and will only add to the likes of Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and even Kevin De Bruyne or David Silva, who have played on the wings for Guardiola last season. More than a needed addition, it seems like a luxury buy.
Mbappe has been phenomenal last term without a doubt, scoring 26 goals and providing 14 assists for the new Ligue 1 Champions in all competitions. At 18, he has shown immense abilities convincing even the sharpest footballing minds that he is bound to be the next big thing in the coming years.
But, one look at City’s attack, who have scored 80 goals last season, third highest after Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, and one would understand how well armed they are in that position. Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, Sane and Sterling, City have 39 goals and a whopping 23 assists among them and Mbappe will find it hard to compete with them in his first season in England.
That is, excluding the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Ilkay Gundogan. While Mbappe coming to any team is definitely a level up, his coming to the Manchester outfit could even result in a waste of his talent.
