What was common in City’s two defeats in the Premier League against less fancied opponents like Leicester City and Crystal Palace? Fernandinho was missing due to an injury. If one thinks of best players from Manchester City, the names which usually springs to mind are Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne or David Silva. More recently Leroy Sane has been making waves and maybe Vincent Kompany for some of the purists of the game and his overall contribution to the club. However, there is one player who goes under the radar and that is Fernandinho.
The game which the midfielder had against Liverpool showcased what the Citizens missed in those matches as his pressing and reading of the situation was brilliant. To go with that, he made some proper challenges to stamp his authority on the game and like always; he went under the radar as goal scorers like Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero took away all the major plaudits.
Pep Guardiola has been after a long term replacement for the Brazilian for quite some time now as the midfielder is already 33 and one isn’t sure how long he can carry on at the top level. One of the names which have been doing the rounds (Manchester Evening News) is that of Ruben Neves, and we wouldn’t be wrong in saying that he would fit in seamlessly into the current lineup.
However, Guardiola recently commented on those rumours and explicitly said that he wouldn’t be held ransom to an exorbitant price. Apparently, some reports said that the Citizens might have to shell out £100m to sign the Portuguese midfielder.
Guardiola was quoted as saying, ”Most of them (Targetted defensive midfielder) are under contracts. A month ago, I started reading – ‘Ruben Neves, £100million’. That is not going to happen, we are not going to pay £100million for a holding midfielder.”
”When we spent a lot last season, it was because the team was old – it was 30-31 years old and that’s why we did it. But we cannot do it every season. We have a limit and cannot spend more so that’s why we need to be careful with the players and try next season to see what we can do to improve.”
There is nothing wrong in Wolves valuing him so highly, but we doubt that they would actually demand that price for him. Guardiola might have turned down the signing right now but the Portuguese can be a perfect Guardiola kind of player as he is brilliant on the ball and has that nitty-gritty side to his game as well. The Citizens missed out (Manchester Evening News) on Jorginho last summer and with every passing transfer window, the pressure would be mounting on them to get a long term replacement for Fernandinho and Ruben Neves definitely fits the bill. However, the price tag is going to be a huge matter of concern and a roadblock for the Citizens.
