Manchester City Target Cucurella Alternative: What Could The Stuttgart Defender Bring To Etihad?

According to a report by Manchester Evening News, Manchester City could switch their attention to Borna Sosa of Stuttgart. It is understood that Oleksandr Zinchenko’s exit has left room for a new left-back and Marc Cucurella has been the Sky Blues’ priority target. However, Brighton’s reluctance to lower the asking price could see City target Cucurella’s alternative.

Sosa’s Impressive Campaign In The Bundesliga Last Season

Borna Sosa has performed exceptionally in his last campaign as he produced outstanding displays on the left flank. He managed to score a goal and create 8 assists over 28 appearances last season across all fronts.

The Zagreb- born talent has performed consistently in the defensive third of the pitch as he averaged 1.6 key passes, 0.8 tackles, 1.0 interceptions and 1.4 clearances per game in the Bundesliga. He was also tidy with his ball distribution after completing 77.9% of his attempted passes in the German top flight (stats via whoscored).

What Could He Bring To Manchester City?

Sosa is a decent tackler of the ball; he does well to cover the passing lanes and make some clever interceptions to win the ball back for his side. However, he has a solid presence in the offensive end as he excels at delivering crosses from the wide areas to create meaningful opportunities in front of the goal. The Croatian defender excels at holding on to the ball and can make some dangerous runs down the left flank when he’s on the front foot.

The 24-year-old is an adept set-piece taker and can distribute the ball efficiently to his teammates. He is primarily a left-back but remains versatile to play as both a right and left-sided wide player in the central areas of the pitch.

He is definitely a decent alternative to Cucurella and Pep Guardiola would be wise to drop the pursuit of the Brighton left-back and bring Sosa to the Etihad Stadium as he would make a significant difference in the hour of need.