Manchester City: Key positions to reassess this summer
By Liam Price
Right-back(s)
Current options: Bacary Sagna, Pablo Zabaleta and Pablo Maffeo
Similarly to the left-back situation, Manchester City have an aging probably that needs to be sorted out with their right-backs. While these two still have plenty of talent and can certainly be a dominant defender on the pitch, they are not in Guardiola’s long-term solution.
Zabaleta will no doubt go down as a club-legend, he bleeds blue and the fans chant his name from the stands. While Sagna, two years his senior at the age of 33, has put in a good few seasons with City. It is time to let one of these two go, if not both.
Maffeo has worked his way through City’s EDS and just recently signed a new three-year deal. Maffeo is currently on loan back in Spain with Girona and while he may not be the first-choice defender next season, bringing him back over the summer for more exposure might be a way of introducing him to the Premier League.
Hector Bellerin might once again be a potential candidate depending on how things shake-out at Arsenal, he was targeted by Manchester City in the summer market last year but decided to stay in North-London with the Gunners. Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal would also be a good target for City as he is quick and intelligent off the ball and could link up well with City’s wing.
Finally, Jerome Boateng might be the answer to City’s right-back dilemma. Manchester City fans should be familiar with the name as he spent one season with the squad back in 2010. Since then, he has become a regular at the German football giants Bayern Munich, where Pep managed for three seasons.