Last season, Manchester City sold Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to Premier League competitors Arsenal and very nearly lived to regret it. Jesus scored 11 top-flight goals and provided seven assists for the Gunners, while Oleksandr Zinchenko was also a key contributor to Mikel Arteta’s side, starting 26 league games (Transfermarkt).
Arsenal proved to be City’s closest challengers for the title, ultimately finishing five points adrift as Pep Guardiola just about denied his former players glory. Now, another former City man is shining at a Premier League rival, and Guardiola seems intent on getting him back.
City plot Pedro Porro reunion
Unlike Jesus and Zinchenko, Pedro Porro didn’t leave City directly for another English club, instead stopping at Sporting after an £7.6m transfer in 2022. It was from there he moved on to Spurs, initially on loan in January before a permanent £34.4m transfer in the summer (Transfermarkt).
Now, according to Tottenham Hotspur News, City are interested in signing Porro during the summer transfer window as a long-term replacement for Kyle Walker. Walker, of course, was also signed from Spurs back in 2017, but now Guardiola is planning for life without the Englishman.
There’s a feeling that Porro would find it “terribly hard” to turn down a move to the Etihad owing to the strong Spanish link between himself and Guardiola. It should be stressed, though, that the same outlet previously reported that Real Madrid and Barcelona are also keen, so City may face some mighty competition.
Porro return would be sensational
Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou has raved about the “super” performances of his defender (Spurs Play), while Lilywhites columnist John Wenham says he’s been “really impressed” with the 22-year-old in his first full season at the club, arguing that “he’s been right up there in terms of right-backs” in the Premier League (Tottenham Hotspur News).
Sure enough, Porro ranks fifth in the division for assists (six) and sixth for expected assisted goals (5.3), so he deserves to be up there. He’s creating high quality chances, and his teammates are finishing them (FBRef).
But it’s not just about what he offers going forward – Porro also boasts strong defensive fundamentals. He sits second in the league for dribblers tackled (38), showing that he can hold his own in one-vs-one duels, and he leads the division outright in blocks (43), which speaks to smart positioning and a desire to lay his body on the line.
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By the sounds of it, he’d relish another shot at playing for City, and the contract negotiations could be especially smooth because the club already have a prior relationship with his agent CAA Base Ltd, who also represent young English defender Rico Lewis (Transfermarkt).
This would be a pretty sensational transfer, with City potentially capturing a player who’s started 19 out of 20 games for their direct Premier League rivals (Transfermarkt). Just a point separates the two sides in the table right now, although the reigning champions have played a game fewer, and so this would feel like a devastating blow for Spurs. Ironically, they haven’t lost a major player to a fellow ‘big six’ club since Walker made the move to Manchester six and a half years ago, but that could change this summer.
