Lewandowski. Draxler. Gundogan. Zouma. Di Maria.
I'm not suggesting that City go on a tare and sign all of these players, but two or three of them would be nice. As it stands, City is probably going to sell Joleon Lescott, which means that we will need another centre half. Even though Javi Garcia can play there, I think it would be best if we bought some young talent, similar to Nastasic, who could fill in well should he or Vinnie go down with injury, lose form, or leave the club. As solution to this potential problem, I suggest Kurt Zouma. At just 18 years of age, Zouma already has a monstrous body type and will continue to grow for probably another year or so. Not only that but the St. Entienne defender has stellar footwork for a player in his position. His passing is superb and most importantly, he has a good mental understanding of what to do and when to do it. I think that he would be a great addition to the squad and would give City an outstanding young defense of Nastisic, Zouma, and Rekik on the left. This is looking deep into the future of the Pelligrini era of course.
As I discussed in yesterday's post, City already have two top notch strikers in Aguero and Dzeko. If Dzeko is sold then this becomes a completely different ballgame, but if not, then it seems to me that City should only look to add to their attack if it comes at the right price. Fred could certainly be that player who is cheap but good; however, if that deal doesn't seem to fit an alternative would be the young, Polish sensation Robert Lewandowski. Obviously, his transfer fee would be massive, but especially if Dzeko is sold, then I believe Robert Lewandowski becomes absolutely worth his price. When I think about him playing with Aguero, I imagine Aguero playing behind in more of an attacking mid role, but we will see how and if Pelligrini will play that one.
Third on the list is another Dortmund standout, Ilkay Gundogan. Playing in the shadows of Goetze for most of his young but prosperous career, because of his lack of total stardom, City may be able to snatch him up this summer for a smaller fee than it could be in a years time. In my opinion, Gundogan is a better option than Fernandinho. However, with Barry aging rapidly and Yaya surely to go down in ability eventually, Gundogan at 21 seems a fine replacement. High work rate, defensive strength, and attacking genius are what characterize Gundogan's game. He and Yaya in the middle with Fernandinho playing as a utility subsititute and occasional starter seems an ideal situation to me.
Lastly, we have Draxler and Di Maria. Draxler is a young German who I would describe as similar to Thomas Muller of Bayern Munich. This left and central midfielder of Schalke is full of ball skill, has decent physical ability, and an eye for goal. Much like Gundogan, he has tons of flair and an incredible attacking imagination. If entertaining football is what Pelligrini wants to play, then this wonderkid is exactly what City may be looking for to play on the left wing now, and certainly he can only be better as he ages into his prime. Because the German is only 19, this would be a bold move by the club, but one that I think would pay off. On the other hand, there have been rumours that City are after Real Madrid winger Di Maria. This would be a more conservative move than going after Draxler, but there is less potential upside. Di Maria is a proven assist machine and has a pretty powerful shot on him as well. Usually taking stock on the right side of the pitch, he would have to switch to the left side in order to compensate for Jesus Navas. I don't think this would be a difficult switch for the Argentine, nor do I think he would mind it. As well, I think Di Maria would relish the chance to play alongside his compatriot and good friend Sergio Aguero. This may be something which separates City from the host of other clubs that are after him. Although I think his transfer fee will be higher than Draxler's since he is less of a risk, I think that he too would be well worth the money.
In the comments tell me how you feel about these five potential signings, and tell me who you think City should be after and why!
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