Manchester City opinion: Should the Cityzens sign Mikel Oyarzabal?

According to a report from The Sun, Manchester City are interested in signing Real Sociedad winger Mikel Oyarzabal. The report also states that the Cityzens are willing to pay the Spaniard’s entire release clause worth £68million.

The 22-year-old is cited as a replacement for Leroy Sane, who is heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich (h/t Sun).

Furthermore, Bayern manager Niko Kovac is confident that Sane would play in the Bundesliga next season. (h/t The Sun)

Is Oyrazabal a worthy candidate to replace Sane?

The Spaniard is undoubtedly in the long line of exciting talents to emerge from Spain. His meteoric rise at Sociedad is the undeniable proof.

The 2018/19 campaign turned out to be a productive one for Oyarzabal, racking up 14 goals and 4 assists in all competitions followed by a spectacular campaign for Spain in the U-21 Euros, providing a helping hand for his side to clinch the title with a seven-goal tally.

He also savoured his first-ever goal for the Spanish national team in Euro qualifiers against Sweden.

A youth product of Sociedad, Oyarzabal has been an integral part of the main team since 2015. Over the course, he has bagged a total of 38 goals and 23 assists. A versatile player, Oyarzabal is quite comfortable on the left wing.

The Spaniard might be below par with Sane in terms of goal-scoring stats but it the fact is that Oyarzabal plays for a less-competitive side.

Regardless, Oyarzabal is not quick and agile as Sane, doesn’t have the killer instinct to be ferocious in the attacking third, but he has some attributes which are typical of Spaniards, as he largely relies on his versatility and technical abilities.

Starting as a natural winger, the position in which he still plays, the La Real prospect has learned to be versatile over the years.

Oyarzabal occupied various positions last season, averaging 1.4 key passes, higher than some of his peers in the league like Isco and Philippe Coutinho. He also had 1.8 shots attempted per game.

However, the Spaniard has to work on his passing skills, which would improve drastically if he chooses to play under the guidance of a manager like Guardiola.

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Defensively, Oyarzabal looked progressive last season with an average of 1.6 tackles and 1.2 aerial duels won per game.

Verdict

Sane is a difficult player to replace but Guardiola can wholeheartedly bet on special talents like Oyarzabal for the long-term future of Manchester City.