Why Benjamin Mendy Could Be The Final Piece Of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City Puzzle
Manchester City fell to a cruel loss in the Manchester derby in the pre-season friendly and Pep Guardiola will hope that it will teach his side a lesson on how to deal with the challenges for next season. The manager is adamant to make sure that his side are well equipped going into the next season and has already spent heavily on incoming transfers this summer.
The Spaniard has spent £53m on Kyle Walker and has signed Real Madrid star Danilo in a £26.5m deal in the upcoming days. The duo will end the problems at right-back for City for years to come but they have allowed Aleksandar Kolarov to leave to Roma and now have to fill a glaring hole at left-back as well.
There are not too many top class options left in the transfer market and with just over two weeks left for the start of the new season, Guardiola will grow desperate and will be ready to splash the cash yet again for his top transfer target. In this case, it is AS Monaco star Benjamin Mendy.
The French sensation had a stellar season in Ligue1 with Champions Monaco and is now one of the most wanted players in Europe. The likes of Liverpool are also interested in his signature but Monaco are demanding a fee of £51m, which neither team is ready to pay. But reports suggest that he is on his way to Manchester, ahead of a medical at the Etihad. So Mendy could well be the final piece of the puzzle at the Etihad.
Known for his marauding runs in the final third and creativity with the ball at his feet, the 22-year-old is an exciting player who loves to shoulder the responsibility even under severe pressure. He is strong and dominant in the air and has a nice balance between the attacking and the defensive side of his game, making him one of the best left-backs in France at the moment.
Manchester City literally have no first team left-back in the squad and used Fernandinho in this role in the Manchester derby in the US. They will have to spend on a genuine fullback before the start of the season and even at £51m, Mendy seems the best, and probably the only option for City at the moment.
He is young, athletic and will buy in Guardiola’s philosophy quickly. Acting as the first choice for a Guardiola side will surely bring the best out of him. Moreover, City have very little to strengthen, apart from the left-back role and Mendy could genuinely be the final piece of the puzzle for the Citizens next season.