The first thing that ran through my head when news broke that Manchester City faced a two-year ban from European competition had to do with their great stash of players; players like Kevin De Bruyne, Leroy Sane and Riyad Marez came to mind immediately.
Now, during the current suspension of play, Kevin De Bruyne too had to admit that, should the European ban be upheld, he would have to review alternative options. While both of those issues have some time before they will/must, be addressed, it does certainly breed an intriguing question; where in the world would best suit Kevin De Bruyne, if not at Manchester City?
He is one of the worlds best central midfielders, capable of scoring and creating opportunities with seeming ease. Kevin De Bruyne also has the luxury of playing for one of the greatest managers of all time as well, Pep Guardiola; this must be taken into consideration as well when asking where he would land should he desire to do so.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the list for De Bruyne’s services, from my point of view, is likely limited to a select number of clubs; I believe Kevin De Bruyne would want both a great club, as well as a great and forethoughtful Manager like Pep.
Kevin De Bruyne: La Liga calling!
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The first place I would say is Barcelona; their history and style of play would likely be ideal for De Bruyne. Playing alongside the wealth and breadth of talent at their disposal would likely be appealing to Kevin as well; the problem with Barcelona, in my opinion, is that they lack the manager of high standing to suit KDB.
That leaves one choice in La Liga Santander; Real Madrid. At Madrid, Kevin De Bruyne would be able to play alongside his Belgian countrymen Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois. He would be managed by the legendary French player and manager, Zinedine Zidane, and will have a massive host of other players at his disposal as well.
Players like Marco Asensio and Vinicius Junior could prove the greatest beneficiary of such a transfer innovation, but KDB’s influence would go beyond that. He is a great leader, a serious competitor, and a well rounded and physical presence in the middle of the football pitch. The protection a player like that offers the backlines of defence can hardly be measured; while he wouldn’t be cheap, he would certainly be worth whatever price was paid.
Italy or England: KDB’s secondary options
I could see Kevin De Bruyne at Inter Milan, Juventus, Everton or Newcastle United (conditionally). In Italy, playing under Antonio Conte could prove inspiring, even if the brand of football he puts out is not always as inspiring by any means; he would get to play with his friend Romelu Lukaku however.
The mercurial Maurizio Sarri loves passing, and who can pass better than Kevin De Bruyne? Few men in professional football by how the statistics read. At Juventus, he could star in a midfield that could use a strong force to command and control a team still struggling to execute the coaches game plans.
Additionally, I’m not so sure that England could not keep KDB to themselves should a couple of teams show progress. Both Everton and Newcastle come to mind as dark horse candidates for Kevin De Bruyne’s services.
With Everton, the legendary manager Carlo Ancelotti sits with talent and youth in excess; all he requires is time to mould them and resources to build around them. Should this summer yield a wonderful transfer bounty, and progress be demonstrated afterwards, its hard to imagine Everton wouldn’t be a player in his services.
Newcastle United on the other hand, could be as shocking a choice as any; with new ownership imminent, as well as the real possibility of Mauricio Pochettino as manager, Kevin De Bruyne would be an innovation like Newcastle United haven’t experienced in decades.
KDB: Time to think
There may well be other teams that suit him as well; PSG could do wonders with him, as could Bayern. He wouldn’t go to Manchester United, but Barcelona do have a real shot. Should the Blaugrana hire Xavi as their next manager, he could very well be someone to lure a name like Kevin De Bruyne to Barcelona.
In any event, Kevin De Bruyne has plenty of time to think. Manchester City likely has some time before any final judgment is passed, as it relates to the appeal process. But it is something he admits he would have to consider, and so Manchester City should have to consider this as well.
It would be better for football were City able to work an agreement out with FIFA, like the owners of PSG did when scrutiny was pressed on the Parisian outfit. If none can, then City will be rightfully punished for falsifying financial records; with that ruling however, no doubt can be had that it would be the end of Manchester City as currently constructed. Is that too great a consequence for FIFA to administer? Time will tell.