Manchester Evening News has recently claimed that Manchester City full-back Angelino is on Barcelona’s radar this summer. It is understood that the Mancunian giants are willing to hold out for a fee of €30m for their prized asset following his impressive loan spell at Red Bull Leipzig last season (via Manchester Evening News).
Angelino’s Eye-Catching Loan Spell At The Red Bull Arena
The Spanish talent caught the eye with his performances while on loan at Leipzig in the second half of the Bundesliga campaign. He made a total of 18 appearances for the German club, netting one goal and grabbing five assists in multiple competitions.
Angelino discovered some consistency with his overall contributions on the left side of Julian Nagelsmann’s defence as he averaged 1.2 tackles, 1.5 interceptions, 1.2 clearances, 1.5 key passes and 1.5 dribbles per game in the German top-flight last season. The Coristanco-born full-back even took care of the ball well when distributing it as evidenced by his pass success rate of 80.8% in league football (stats via whoscored).
The 23-year-old needs to secure regular first-team football in the upcoming season as he cannot afford to hamper his development in the long-run. At the moment, Pep Guardiola cannot afford to guarantee him regular playing minutes despite the poor form of Benjamin Mendy and Oleksandr Zinchenko towards the latter stages of the recently concluded Premier League campaign.
What Does The Spanish Left-Back Bring To The Table?
Angelino is a speedy full-back who works hard to provide adequate protection for his teammates at the back. He is not afraid to make a few overlapping runs down the left flank and shows incredible composure and close-control when travelling with the ball at his feet. The two-time Spanish U-21 international was involved in six goals for Leipzig during his six-month loan spell in Germany and managed to help them reach the semi-finals of the Champions League where they were knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month.
Should Man City Sanction Angelino’s Permanent Exit This Summer?
Man City are in dire need of recruiting a quality left-back this summer with both Mendy and Zinchenko struggling to find form while Joao Cancelo lacks consistency with his performances as a full-back. Guardiola could promote Angelino to his first-team next season if he is looking for a cost-effective way to build a strong team for the long-term. Otherwise, the Man City boss will be better off to splash the cash on bringing in a solid option at left-back, who should be more experienced than Angelino and also a better two-way player on the left flank.
With all things considered, the safer choice for the League Cup champions would be to spend some money on securing the services of a world-class left-back ahead of the 2020-21 Premier League season. Angelino would be a decent squad player for them but is still not good enough to play in Guardiola’s system week in week out. Therefore, Man City should allow him to leave the Etihad Stadium permanently in this off-season.
