According to reports, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola could surprisingly decide to stick with Eliaquim Mangala this season after the player has been seen more involved in the first team training following their pre-season tour. This move was unexpected by many given the kind of ball playing and technically superior centre-half Guardiola has always preferred.
The 26-year-old Frenchman is nowhere near fulfilling that with strong tackles and no-nonsense defending being his only strong traits. Following a huge £42 million move from Portuguese giants FC Porto back in 2014, the defender had two very inconsistent seasons at the Etihad. It ended with the player being sent out on loan to La Liga club Valencia last summer, where he was quite a regular.
Although reports claim that Manchester City are looking at offers to offload him this summer alongside the likes of Samir Nasri, Jason Denayer and Wilfried Bony, the complication remains in his transfer fee. Unless and until City are willing to part ways for a way lesser price for the defender and incur a huge loss, they are unlikely to find a suitor.
On the other hand, City have only Vincent Kompany, John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi as their senior defenders and with Champions League, EFL Cup and FA Cup also in their priorities, a towering figure like Mangala could be of huge help. And Crystal Palace’s resurgence late last season owing to the presence of a Mamadou Sakho is a clear example that such kind of weapon in the artillery could be helpful in the Premier League.
Following his first trophyless season in his managerial career, Guardiola isn’t expected to leave any stones unturned. The Spaniard has spent over £200 million this summer to get in Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Walker, Danilo and Ederson and going by last season’s injury crisis, he could keep someone as versatile as Mangala.
However, a huge concern with Mangala would be his discipline. His way of approach has always been very aggressive since the beginning and the 26-year-old hasn’t bother improving upon it with age. He has seen a staggering 52 yellow cards in his whole career so far, out of which 11 came from his last season in the La Liga.
His wayward tackles could put City in unnecessary trouble and that is a gamble Guardiola has to take now. Apart from that, despite being 188cm, Mangala hasn’t really excelled in aerial duels either and would need more work on that while training under Guardiola.
