Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola during the 2018 Manchester derby. (Getty Images)
Manchester City may never be able to replace Fernandinho, at least not without spending a lot of money. The 33-year-old has been impeccably brilliant for them since his arrival from Shakhtar Donetsk. But it was really under Pep Guardiola that the Brazilian evolved into the player that he is today.
The former Barcelona manager saw exactly what Fernandinho could be, – Manchester City’s Sergio Busquets, and he transformed him. Since then, the 33-year-old has been integral to their plans, with the Cityzens struggling to make an impact when he’s been out injured.
Guardiola has already revealed that he will be looking for a holding midfielder during the summer window (BBC).
The likes of Ruben Neves (Guardian) and Tanguy Ndombele (Manchester Evening News) among others have been linked with a move to Etihad Stadium, but there is one other man they should target.
While he has been linked with a move to PSG (GetFrenchFootball), Borussia Dortmund and even RB Leipzig (ESPN), Diadie Samassékou should be at the top of Manchester City’s shortlist.
The RB Salzburg star is a defensive behemoth but he does all that from the base of a diamond midfield for the Austrian side.
The 23-year-old’s strengths lie in the defensive side and the statistics never lie, with him averaging 2.8 interceptions, 2.5 tackles, and 1.3 clearances per game. But one area where he isn’t as good as Fernandinho is the creative side (Sofascore).
While the Brazilian excels with forward passing or finding a teammate with an outrageous defence-splitting pass, that isn’t Samassékou’s strength. Despite that, the 23-year-old Mali international is an effective link between the defence and the attack, which should attract Guardiola.
What makes him perfect is the fact that despite Samassékou’s lack of creativity, the 23-year-old’s ability to pick out a pass is still incredible. His long-range passing is second to none in the Austrian Bundesliga and is among the top ten midfielders in the world when it comes to that.
That combined with his work ethic and stamina make him a great foil to have in the midfield, especially in a midfield three of Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne.
Like Fernandinho, Diadie Samassékou has it in him to become the subtle destroyer that Manchester City needs and at the age of 23, he represents a long-term investment.
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Manchester City need to start searching for a replacement for Fernandinho and few players in the world would be as affordable and available as Diadie Samassékou. The 23-year-old has a bright bright future and it’s a move that needs to be made in the near future.
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