Manchester City are reportedly interested in making a move to sign Borussia Dortmund left-back Raphael Guerreiro.
What’s the news?
According to Sky Sports News, the Portugal international is one potential option that the Manchester club are looking at to strengthen the left-back position.
They said: “Manchester City, we understand, are keen on the Borussia Dortmund left-back, Raphael Guerreiro. He is one of several potential first-team options the club are looking into.”
Guardiola needs him
City have not only seen Oleksandr Zinchenko join Arsenal this summer, but they also missed out on signing Marc Cucurella before he joined Chelsea after being linked with a move to the Etihad. Therefore, it’s safe to say that Pep Guardiola certainly needs to add a new attacking left-back to his squad so they aren’t light in that area.
Indeed, considering his offensive talents, Guerreiro certainly fits the bill.
After scoring ten goals and providing eight assists in 111 appearances for his previous club FC Lorient, the 28-year-old made the move to Germany back in the 2016 summer transfer window.
Since then, the defender has gone on to make 189 appearances for Dortmund across all competitions, during which he has scored 34 goals and delivered 37 assists.
Having made 34 appearances for the German club in the Champions League, scoring seven goals and supplying three assists in the process, this experience should make him an attractive proposition for City as they look to finally lift the trophy that has evaded them for so long.
To further highlight his attacking talent, with 23 Bundesliga appearances to his name last season, only four other players racked up more shot-creating actions than Guerreiro (54).
In fact, in the 68 games he played with former Dortmund and current City striker, Erling Haaland, the pair totalled four joint goal participations, which is a connection that could be resurrected at the Etihad Stadium should the Manchester club sign the Portugal international before the summer transfer window closes.
This backs up why Edin Terzic described the 28-year-old as a player that “makes things happen” on the pitch in an attacking sense.
Would Guerreiro be a good signing for City?
Additionally, only Marco Reus (57) carried the ball into the opponent’s box on more occasions than the left-back (50), highlighting his rampaging nature in the final third.
From a defensive point of view, only four other players made more interceptions and won more tackles than the full-back in the German top-flight throughout 2021/22, showing that he’s just as capable of doing his defensive duties as he is when it comes to being a useful attacking outlet.
Thus, with Guerreiro showing his attacking and defensive credentials, this should convince the Manchester club that he’s good enough to come in and be a very useful asset for them. After all, Guardiola certainly needs the defender’s talents at his disposal.
