Manchester City currently find themselves in somewhat unchartered territory. Pep Guardiola’s side haven’t won in four Premier League games and defeat against Aston Villa left them fourth and six points adrift of league leaders Arsenal. Of course, the treble winners shouldn’t be ruled out of the title race just yet, with plenty of time to turn things around, but for the first time in three seasons, City’s crown looks up for contention in England’s top flight.
Now, with January approaching, one particular player could potentially be heading for the exit door.
Man City transfer news
Manchester City are rarely away from the headlines during transfer season. Even after their treble win, the Citizens welcomed the likes of Jeremy Doku, Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes, as they looked to improve even further. That improvement is yet to come, however, with City instead struggling to reach their usual standards and falling behind in the title race as a result. Now they could be set to suffer an exit blow in January.
According to The Athletic, Colorado Rapids are in advanced talks to sign Zack Steffen, who has endured several loan spells away from the Etihad over the years, before suffering a knee injury which sidelined him for the first half of the current campaign and put an end to the potential of another short stint elsewhere. The goalkeeper could be set for a permanent move this time, however, and a return to his home country, as Colorado Rapids attempt to rebuild after a disappointing MLS season last time out.
Whilst Steffen’s potential exit is not a major blow for City, they will want to ensure that his transfer is the only one they have to deal with during the January window.
“Excellent” Steffen impressed when given the chance
Whether it be through loan moves away or in domestic cup competitions, Steffen impressed when given the chance at Manchester City. Steffen’s Premier League clean sheet rate stands at 50%, whilst only conceding 16 goals in 21 games for Guardiola’s side in all competitions. The American’s longest loan spell came at Middlesbrough, where he kept 10 clean sheets in 45 games and earned plenty of praise.
This includes from former teammate Darragh Lenihan, who said: “He’s been excellent since he came to the club. He made some really good saves in the second half (against Stoke). Sometimes you have to rely on the goalkeeper to make those saves which thankfully he did. We’ll need everyone in the squad chipping in from now until the end of the season to contribute and hopefully do well and win games.”
Should he complete his move to Colorado Rapids, Steffen will hope to do enough to earn his place back in the USA team, having missed out on a spot at the 2022 Qatar World Cup in heartbreaking fashion, leaving City with Ederson and Stefan Ortega as City’s senior options.
