Manchester City have been reeling at the back because of injuries this season. First, they failed to replace Vincent Kompany in the summer who departed for Anderlecht. Next, they received a body blow when Aymeric Laporte went down with a lengthy injury. John Stones has struggled with it on and off. The Englishman is expected to be back after the international break. Defensive midfielder Fernandinho has had to fill in at the back of late.
Nicolas Otamendi hasn’t covered himself in glory with his recent performances. He was made to look like a schoolboy by Raul Jimenez who went past his challenge with ease which allowed him to set up Wolves’ first goal. In another game, the Argentine was caught napping by Norwich City which resulted in them scoring their third goal.
Brennan on City going after defenders in January
All this current situation is pointing towards one thing, and that is City spending the big bucks in January to bolster their defence. They have been linked with moves for Kalidou Koulibaly and Ruben Dias. However, Manchester City Evening News journalist Stuart Brennan gave a damning update in his recent column. He writes, ”So all the talk of City being in the chase for Benfica defender Ruben Dias – who they considered in the summer – or being prepared to break the bank for Napoli ace Kalidou Koulibaly, are agent chatter at best, wild speculation at worst.
”The fact is that City currently have NO plans to sign a defender in January. That has been Guardiola’s position all along, unchanged by injury calamities, and it is confirmed by club sources.”
What now for Pep?
It remains to be seen now whether City will really not go for a defender in January. They were after Harry Maguire and were willing to pay as much as £70m for him in the summer. That in our opinion was like breaking the bank so we cannot see why City can’t make an offer like that for another defender in January.
However, by January, Laporte will be closing in on a return so signing a defender at that time might feel a bit needless. Moreover, getting a top defender in January will be a tough task as none of the teams would look to send their top defenders midway through the season.
For that to happen, City might have to pay a bit more to bring in a top-class defender in January. The club needs a defender right now, and the comeback of John Stones is going to be a massive boost for them. We think that City should be on the lookout for a defender in January as Otamendi is far from his best and Fernandinho isn’t a natural in that position. For now, they will have to ride the tide somehow for the next two months atleast.
