A summer of huge change awaits for Manchester City.
On Saturday, the Sky Blues were beaten 1-0 by Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Final at Wembley, meaning they will end the campaign without silverware, well unless, like Pep Guardiola, you include August’s Community Shield.
Now, ahead of Tuesday night’s clash with Bournemouth at the Etihad, the Citizens find themselves outside the Champions League places, something that would have been simply unthinkable before the season began, requiring four points from their final two fixtures to secure a top-five finish; anything less could be catastrophic.
Even with Premier League games still to play, Man City’s summer transfer activity is well underway, so could a new “world-class” midfielder be arriving very soon?
Manchester City targeting a new midfielder
As has been widely reported, including by Sami Mokbel of BBC Sport, Manchester City have withdrawn their interest in Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz due to ‘the soaring costs of any deal’.
Paul Hirst and Paul Joyce of the Times claim that die Schwarzroten value their star asset at £126m, hence why Man City have turned their attention to other targets; Bayern Munich and Liverpool are still in the race to secure Wirtz’s signature.
So, who’s the alternative? Well, according to a report from TEAMtalk, Manchester City ‘have accelerated their efforts’ to sign AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and are now preparing a bid worth £59m.
Sky Sports Switzerland has previously reported that personal terms have been agreed, with the Citizens ‘fully committed’ to finalising this deal, although there is currently a gap in valuation, with reports claiming he is valued at €90m (around £76m), significantly higher than Man City’s initial offer of €60m (£50m).
So, why are Man City so determined to complete this deal?
How Reijnders compares to Wirtz
Well, Graham Ruthven of Total Soccer Show asserts that Reijnders has been AC Milan’s ‘best player this season’, taking his game to another level since the arrival of Sérgio Conceição in January, while analyst Ben Mattinson believes the Dutchman is capable of playing at a “world-class level”.
So, how would Reijnders fit in at the Etihad, and would his arrival soften the blow of missing out on another highly coveted midfielder in Wirtz?
Let’s asses how these two players compare.
Appearances
53
45
Minutes
4,501
3,392
Goals
15
16
Assists
5
15
Shots
125
121
Shots on target %
40.8%
45.5%
Non-penalty goals – xG
+3.2
+4.1
Big chances created
10
23
Progressive carries
132
159
Progressive passes
272
229
Pass completion %
87.9%
79.9%
Shot-creating actions
136
191
Goal-creating actions
11
30
Take-on success %
47.9%
48.3%
Interceptions
49
22
Ball recoveries
148
145
Average Sofascore Rating
7.29
7.56
As the table outlines, many of Wirtz’s statistics are outstanding, which is not too surprising considering he is, indisputably, one of the best creative midfielders in the world, ranked second in the Bundesliga this season for big chances created.
Nevertheless, Reijnders’ statistics are pretty comparable across the board, mustering more shots, registering more progressive passes and completing a higher percentage of his passes, while his out-of-possession statistics, namely interceptions and ball recoveries, are also higher.
So, the Dutchman is a more well-rounded midfielder, which could be exactly what City need given that, as outlined by Sam Lee of the Athletic, the Citizens’ midfield has been far too easy to play against this season, ever since Rodri suffered his long-term ACL injury in September.
Thus, as much as Wirtz would have been a game-changing arrival, while Reijnders may not have quite as much name recognition, all the indications are that he’ll be an excellent addition, even if quite an expensive one.
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