Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is reportedly looking to considerably strengthen his defence following the two consecutive defeats to Chelsea and Leicester City. Since the arrival of the former Barcelona manager, the Citizens have spent a massive €223.20m on new signings.
Ex-Everton defender John Stones was the only defensive signing made in the summer, however, but he was the costliest of the lot. Stones cost City a mammoth €55.6m but his arrival has hardly settled any nerves at the back for Guardiola. In fact, it was Stones who has been the culprit on several occasions making silly errors to gift the opposition goals.
With the defence already conceding 19 goals from their 15 games, let’s take a look at the players City will be looking to add to their squad to put an end to their problems.
Danny Rose
Perhaps not a glamorous name but without a doubt an effective one. Danny Rose is a reported target for Guardiola and City, having scouted him a number of times this season. The Tottenham defender has established himself at White Hart Lane as one of the most reliable left backs in the league for some time now.
His consistency would be a valuable addition to the City defence and at 26, he will offer more freshness than the likes of Clichy and Kolarov, the designated left fullbacks at the Etihad, who are both over 30 and have been present for some time now.
Rose’s arrival will also allow Guardiola to use Kolarov as a centre-back, which he has done this season at times, while having another option of Clichy on the bench to fill in as the 2nd choice left back.
David Alaba
Arguably the most versatile and tactically intelligent player in world football at the moment, David Alaba is a player capable of transforming the City backline into an impregnable unit. The City boss is interested in signing the defender.
The Bayern Munich player had played under Guardiola for three years which will help ease a lot of things. The tactical flexibility offered by Alaba would also be second to none for the manager who is constantly on the lookout for some subtle shifts in his formations to outwit his opponents.
The all round game of the Austrian international will elevate the overall quality of the City squad and thus he would be an exceptional signing.
Leonardo Bonucci
The Italian defender was targeted by City in the summer but the Sky Blues put their plans to sign the 29-year-old on hold because of Juve’s £50 million price tag as well as Vincent Kompany’s progress back then.
Kompany managed to return to playing football but suffered another injury at the start of the season which is why Guardiola had to change his backline. Bonucci, for long, has been one of the outstanding defenders of world football, guarding the defence of the Old Lady with distinction. A wonderful tackler with great understanding of the game, signing this defensive rock will be a massive boost for the City defence.
