Tottenham defender on Pep’s radar
Davies is the latest left-back to be linked with City.
A whole host of players have been mooted as the potential answer to Manchester City’s defensive problems, the latest of them Ben Davies, the Tottenham left-back who starred for Wales in their run to the semi-finals of the European Championship last summer.
Davies has been a patient under-study to Danny Rose for most of the two-and-a-half seasons he’s spent at White Hart Lane since signing from childhood club Swansea, and while coach Pochettino is clearly a fan of the 23-year-old, the chance to join Pep and City is one he is unlikely to turn down.
City are reportedly in the market for a pair of full-backs, with ageing duo Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy having failed to impress in the six months since Guardiola took the reigns at the Etihad. Kolarov and Zabaleta are the team’s other options but, this season, have primarily operated in central defence and midfield respectively.
Davies ticks all the boxes for their under-fire manager: he’s young, he’s Welsh (and therefore, in the eyes of the Premier League, homegrown), and he’s also tidy in possession, with all-important experience of playing in continental competition (including – this bears repeating – the final four of Euro 2016).
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Clichy still has plenty of pace but the former Arsenal man, at 31, is struggling to come to terms with the tactical approach introduced by Guardiola, of which his costly misplaced pass against Everton – the precursor to Lukaku’s opener – was another glaring illustration.
At previous clubs, Pep has tended to favour working with hungry young players who are open to his ideas, and many of his signings so far at the Etihad – John Stones, Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus – were earmarked for their potential to play the style of football he craves.
Having failed to claim a regular place at Tottenham, Davies would carry the baggage of being a Spurs reject, but in reality you can toss a coin between him and Rose. Both players are naturally skilled left-backs in and out of possession, and both, at the moment, would walk into City’s leaky back line.
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Reports have valued the Welsh defender at around £20M, which is a reasonable price when you consider some of the fees City’s owners have been prepared to pay in recent years. Davies is hardly a marquee name, but their squad probably has enough of those already.