Manchester City are said to be close to
signing Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy
with Pep Guardiola about to spend $120
million on a new right and left back.
City need these two additions badly, but
that’s a lot of cash.
Multiple reports state that Walker, 27, has
agreed to join Man City from Tottenham
Hotspur in a $65 million deal (that would
make him the the most-expensive defender
in history) with the England international
set to have a medical later this week and
then jet off with City on their preseason
tour of the U.S. next week. After losing out
on Dani Alves to Paris Saint-Germain signing
Walker was a priority for City.
As for Mendy, the 22-year-old French
international has an incredible engine and
his displays last season in the UEFA
Champions League have convinced City to
spend over $55 million with reports stating
City and Monaco are close to an agreement
and Mendy could be a City player early next
week.
Now, we all know defense was the main issue
for City last season and quite frankly it’s
been that way for the last five seasons.
After letting Pablo Zabaleta , Bacary Sagna
and Gael Clichy leave this summer, Guardiola
badly needed full backs and although he has
overpaid for them, just like he did for
goalkeeper Ederson earlier this summer, he’s
got what he wanted.
Walker will provide pace and power from the
right back slot and City finally seem to have
broken Daniel Levy’s resolved as Spurs’
chairman has played this perfectly. At the
end of last season Walker fell out with
Mauricio Pochettino and Kieran Trippier
impressed as he slotted into the team, so
know Spurs already have a replacement for
Walker and they’re getting $65 million.
Mendy is the latest in the mass exodus from
AS Monaco as the French champions have
also sold Portuguese playmaker Bernardo
Silva to Man City earlier this summer for
$55 million and are set to lose Tiemoue
Bakayoko to Chelsea while Arsenal are
chasing Thomas Lemar and Kylian Mbappe
seems destined for Real Madrid.
Back to City though, and if they complete
this double swoop it will be a huge upgrade
on their defense from last season as ageing
full backs struggled to cope with the extra
demands placed on them by Guardiola, and a
shaky central defense didn’t help matters
with John Stones struggling and Vincent
Kompany only able to play the second half of
the season when he returned from injury.
Balance is everything for Guardiola and with
two attack-minded full backs he now has
that. Just like he did at Barcelona with Dani
Alves, Maxwell and Eric Abidal, he has full
backs who can keep the ball and join the
attack but are also quick enough to recover
and keep a solid defensive shape after a
turnover.
Walker and Mendy will basically play as wing
backs for City and will be asked to move
inside with the ball, something Walker isn’t
too comfortable doing but he has everything
else needed to excel at the Etihad Stadium.
Yes, they overpaid, like they usually do for
defenders, but City have addressed their
needs perfectly just as their preseason
kicks up a few notches with the small matter
of playing both Manchester United and
Tottenham Hotspur in the U.S. over the next
two weeks.
