Manchester United and Chelsea appear to be going head to head in the fight for Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona. As far as City are concerned, throwing their hat in this ring makes perfect sense as the Dutchman would provide us a superstar in the Guardiola mould but also allow Phil Foden to specialise on the left wing and replace Raheem Sterling.
Straight off the bat, Frenkie de Jong is a perfect fit for Pep’s system. He can play that dynamic No.8 role, spraying deadly accurate passes around the pitch but also able to get himself box to box and provide a goal threat. With Barcelona in financial turmoil, this is the perfect time to resurrect interest that was there before he arrived at the Camp Nou. Having just turned 25, he’s got years of top level football ahead of him and the thought of pairing him with Kevin de Bruyne and Kalvin Phillips operating behind them is utterly next level.
The price tags being quoted for him (ranging from £55m-£65m) are also certainly not steep for the level of talent involved and could represent great value for money.
Soccer Football – Premier League – Manchester City v Aston Villa – Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain – May 22, 2022 Manchester City’s Phil Foden reacts REUTERS/Hannah Mckay EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
The fact that doing this could in turn free up Phil Foden to make the left wing position his own is just gravy. With Raheem Sterling en route to Stamford Bridge, a cavernous vacancy has opened up on City’s left hand side. Jack Grealish is one candidate, but Foden has played in numerous positions – to a very high standard. From the midfield three, to wide off the left and also in the False Nine role, he’s really flourished. At 22, it could represent the perfect time for the young England international to specialise in the one position and kick onto becoming the top 5 player in the world we know he’s going to become.
Foden’s electric dribbling and tight close control truly terrify opposition defenders and the way that City deploy their wingers under Pep seems like a match made in heaven for the “Stockport Messi”. It’s hard to envision a better City side than the ones we’ve seen recently but, with Mahrez off the right, Foden off the left, Haaland waiting to pounce in the middle and a potential dual midfield menace of de Bruyne and de Jong, could be the final formula that brings the Champions League trophy to the east end of Manchester.