Close to sealing a deal to sign Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt, Pep Guardiola is reportedly desperate for Manchester City to sign a La Liga midfielder for his side.
Man City transfer news
With Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov and Marmoush ready to arrive, it’s fair to say that Manchester City were in no mood to wait for reinforcements this month after a disastrous campaign so far. Having recently turned a corner following a string of defeats, the Blues remain outside the Premier League’s top four and are increasingly at risk of missing out on Champions League football.
Even in such circumstances, however, the good news continued to emerge from the pitch with Erling Haaland putting pen to paper on a staggering nine-and-a-half-year deal that won’t feature a release clause until 2029 arrives.
The clinical striker will now be joined by Marmoush in a partnership that could yet change Manchester City’s season. Given that the Premier League champions are spending big announced €80m (£68m) package with add-ons also included, the Egyptian will definitely have to get to work. However, he may not be the last to arrive this month.
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According to reports in Spain, Guardiola is now desperate for Manchester City to sign Mikel Jauregizar of Athletic Bilbao and has expressed interest in the midfielder, with those at the Etihad leading the race to secure his signature.
At just 21 years old, Jauregizar could quickly become the solution to Manchester City’s Rodri problem. The Citizens remain without their most important star and this will be the case for the rest of the campaign. And if they have any chance of turning the tide, it’s not just Marmoush that’s due to arrive this month.
“Specialist” Jauregizar can solve Rodri’s problem
This arguably shows how desperate Manchester City’s problems have been at times this season, as they did not immediately prioritize replacing Rodri this month. Instead, they turned their attention to fixing an exposed backline and ultimately providing Haaland with some much-needed help to share goals moving forward. Only now that these issues can be resolved do the Citizens appear to be focusing on their midfield again.
From this point of view, Jauregizar is certainly an interesting option. Described as a “possession specialist” by Hadi Anani – a La Liga analyst – the 21-year-old is undoubtedly one to watch as the January transfer window approaches.
|
P90 24/25 Championship Stats (via FRef) |
Mikel Jauregizar |
Mateo Kovacic |
Bernardo Silva |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Progressive passes |
5 |
6.11 |
4.35 |
|
Key passes |
1 |
1.46 |
1.92 |
|
Tackles won |
1.64 |
1.39 |
1.04 |
|
Ball recoveries |
5.73 |
4.65 |
3.37 |
The numbers certainly back Anani’s verdict, with the Athletic Bilbao man winning possession more than five times per game in impressive fashion to outscore Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva in that department.
Having already worked hard this month, Manchester City should do it again to complete what was an excellent January transfer window.
