According to Mundo Deportivo, as cited by Sport Witness, Nelson Semedo is poised to snub Manchester City this summer. The FC Barcelona superstar, who has been linked with a move away from Camp Nou, reportedly favours a move to Serie A at the moment, with Juventus emerging as an option. But will Manchester City missing out on Semedo serve as a massive blow for Pep Guardiola?
Manchester City’s right-back woes
Guardiola has spent a lot of money on improving Manchester City’s defences over the past four years. However, the club have still lacked depth in the right-back slot.
Kyle Walker has been an ever-present figure in the Man City starting lineup ever since he joined the club from Tottenham Hotspur in 2017. He has already made 130 competitive appearances for the Sky Blues, helping them secure two Premier League titles in the last three years. Aside from him, however, Man City lack the services of a reliable option in the RB department.
Joao Cancelo was signed from Juventus last summer to resolve that problem. But, the Portuguese international has struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular under Guardiola, making only eight starts in the league. As a result, he has already been linked with a move away from Etihad.
Nelson Semedo is poised to snub Manchester City this summer: A massive blow for Pep Guardiola
Manchester City missing out on the services of Semedo could create a host of problems for Guardiola. With Cancelo likely to move on after his disastrous spell in England, the Catalan mastermind will be needing an additional right-back to provide back-up for Walker, who has also shown signs of inconsistency this season.
Semedo’s experience at the highest level of football, combined with his pace, technical prowess and awareness would have made him an ideal fit under Guardiola’s Juego de posicion style of play. The Portuguese could have also instilled the winning mentality into the side, having won numerous silverware in Spain and Portugal.
As far as quality is concerned, Man City is unlikely to find any better alternative than the Barcelona star. This is primarily because the Premier League giants will not be competing in the European competitions, meaning it could be difficult for them to attract proven individuals.
Therefore, it will be interesting to see how does Pep go about this transfer business this summer as Manchester City look to re-establish their dominance over English football next season.
