Manchester City Rival Chelsea For This Wolves Full-Back: Decent Fit For Guardiola?

In a recent report, The Daily Express mentioned that Manchester City are set to compete with Chelsea over Wolverhampton Wanderers full-back Rayan Aït-Nouri. It is believed that both the Blues and Man City are hoping to acquire his signature ahead of the next campaign.

The Sky Blues are in need of a left-back to provide a permanent solution to their problem position and the Cucurella transfer saga has them looking at every other alternative.

Ait-Nouri’s Impressive Form For Wolves Last Season

Ait-Nouri had an impressive campaign at the Molineux Stadium as he produced some influential displays at the left-side of Wolves’ defence. He appeared in 27 matches for the West Midlands club last season, scoring one goal and creating six assists across multiple competitions,

The French youngster gave a good account of himself based on his averages of 2.8 tackles, 1.0 interceptions, 1.3 clearances, 0.7 key passes and 1.8 dribbles per game in the Premier League. He was even tidy when distributing the ball from the left flank as he completed 76.7% of his attempted passes in the English top-flight (stats via whoscored).

Is He A Decent Fit For Manchester City?

Ait-Nouri is a solid tackler of the ball as he can time his challenges to secure the ball back for his side. He can make some clever interceptions and also track down his opponents who are on the front foot. The French defender can make some intelligent runs down the left-flank and create clear-cut goal-scoring opportunities using his wide array of crossing abilities.

The 21-year-old is adept at holding the ball in the opposition’s half. He can efficiently distribute the ball to his teammates and create some decent opening in front of the goal. A player of such calibre and potential would be a good fit for Guardiola’s defensive department.

Ait-Nouri can fill in the left-back position to free up Joao Cancelo, who could go back to his preferred position. The youngster can get better over the coming years, and he remains a decent alternative to Cucurella. Pep Guardiola should do well to lure him to the Etihad Stadium.