Why Pep Guardiola Must Sign Julian Weigl From Borussia Dortmund
Over the summer, there were a lot of rumours linking German pass-master Julian Weigl with Manchester City but then the youngster signed a new long-term deal until 2021 with Borussia Dortmund. That has not deterred Pep Guardiola since the manager continues to be interested in a deal for the highly sought-after youngster.
Weigl, who seems like an almost perfect Guardiola prototype midfielder, can definitely prove to be a valuable addition for Manchester City. As it is, the Citizens are currently flying high. They are sitting on top of the Premier League table and have been playing exciting, attacking football day in and day out to register wins left, right and centre.
The move can benefit both parties since a club like City can do wonders for Weigl’s career, and the player can also improve Guardiola’s squad further. Although City are loaded with attacking-midfield options, they have fewer options for the deep-lying midfield role. If Guardiola can manage to secure a player for that spot, there may be no team that can stop City from winning more than one trophy this season.
However, signing the €25m rated Weigl may not prove to be easy since he just signed a long-term contract with Dortmund. They will need to tempt the German club, and they certainly have the financial support to do so.
If the move goes through though, Weigl could re-establish his midfield partnership with İlkay Gundogan, who is expected to be back from a season-ending cruciate ligament injury. Moreover, he would play in arguably Pep’s most important position.
In the past, every team Guardiola has managed has had a crucial and highly intelligent player, who gets deployed in between the midfielders and the defence. At Barcelona, Guardiola worked with Sergio Busquets, and at Bayern Munich he tested various players in the role including Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thiago Alcantara, before opting to notably change Phillip Lahm’s position and mould him into playing this role.
At Manchester City, however, Pep has struggled to identify a player to really excel in the role, even though he has tested Yaya Toure and Fernandino. Toure has the passing range for the role but lacks mobility or energy.
Fernandinho, on the other hand, is the exact opposite and plays with energy but lacks that flawless passing ability.
Thus, a move for Weigl could do wonders for the team. City look unstoppable right now, and adding a player as prolific as the Borussia Dortmund youngster will only improve their performance as a team.