Manchester City have been a shadow of themselves after Liverpool have blown them away in the chase for this season’s Premier League title. The Blues from Manchester have struggled to replicate the breathtaking form which saw them marched on to last seasons Premier League glory, as the task of replicating their fierce neighbor’s three uninterrupted title winning campaign proved to be too gross a task for Pep Guardiola and his men.
The task of reclaiming the EPL could well start before the end of an extended 2019/20 which has painfully been interrupted by the spread of Covid-19, as they brace up for the departure of Leroy Sane. The young German may have well been on the cards of Bayern Munich this season had it not been for his long-term injury sustained in Community Shield victory over Liverpool at Wembley in August.
Whatever events could have scuppered Leroy Sane’s departure may have well been thwarted by the club’s Champions League ban, which will certainly prove costly for Manchester City and represents an easy decision for Leroy. The Citizens have certainly missed his explosive runs and jaw dropping performances, but they may well be thinking of potential stars who could come in place of the German.
Here is a look at four players who could reportedly replace Leroy Sane.
Morgan Rogers
Whilst City’s ban might not contain any potential restrictions on the club’s transfer dealings yet, if the club must face up to such penalty, then they may well be tempted to look inwards for a solution to Sane, in the person of Morgan Rogers. The 18-year-old have been man City’s most exciting young talent in the U23 set up, where his performance have begin to catch the golden eyes of Coach Pep Guardiola.
He boasts similar qualities as the young German, with his direct play and movement causing problems for defenders and a vision that will certainly impress Pep. He may need to improve on his goals contribution, as his 3 goals and 3 assists contributions may not be the sort of statistics that could excite the City gaffer, but he’s also got the chance to learn from the best in the managerial business.
The young lad may find opportunities quite hard to come by though, as has proven the case to be for Phil Foden, and Morgan may well be tempted to follow in the foot steps of Sancho by trading the Etihad for pastures new. However given the huge success Sancho has turned out to be in Germany, they may want to avoid a similar situation with Morgan Rogers, and how better to do that than letting him fill in the impressive boots of the Leroy Sane.
David Neres
Second on the list is Ajax’s David Neres. Not by any means a strange name, and quite like Sane, not by any means an easy challenge for defenders. The young Brazilian was amongst the main casts of Ajax’s adventurous run to the semifinals of last seasons Champions League, particularly catching the eye in his performance against Bayern Munich in the group stages and Juventus in the first leg of the two clubs meeting.
His incredible strength will certainly ease his adaption to the physicality of the Premier League, and he’s one who’s work rate could be just what is demanded by Pep. He’s prized at £45 million, which any scary figure for the big spending Arab money club.
Could he capably replace Leroy Sane? Well it’s all up to Pep and his recruitment team to decide.
Mikel Oyarzabal
Mikel Oyarzabal could be the perfect player for Pep and city, as his ability to play on both wings and in behind the main striker offers even more options than Leroy. His ball playing techniques are even arguably much better than Leroy, as the Spanish playmaker has arrays of quality in his locker and has the vision to unlock any defence.
He’s more suited to the left wing role, where he loves to drive at defenders and cut inside from the left to score goals or create opportunities for his teammates. He’s been the main playmaker for Real Sociedad this season, chipping in with an impressive 8 goals and 6 assists in 26 appearances in La Liga this season, as well as being in the fray for a possible call up for the postponed 2020 European championships in summer of 2021. His market value currently is £60million, a sum which will certainly not lighten the purse of the citizens by any means whatsoever and at 22 it could be money well spent.
Martin Odegaard
The last player in the list is on loan from Real Madrid, and with Manchester City close to knocking out his parent club from the Champions League, the capital club may not want to be generous enough to trade one of their prized assets to City, particularly in light of what he’s done in La Liga this season. The Norwegian prodigy still only 21, has registered 7 goals and 8 assists across all competitions for Sociedad this season, and has alongside Oyarzabal, established one of the most fearsome duo in Liga BBVA.
However being more suited in a central role, Odegaard might just not be the like for like replacement required to fill in for Sane, but with Pep being a tactical genius, signing him up may well not come as a surprise given his undoubtedly surreal qualities and mesmerizing abilities. Madrid may find it difficult to let him go, particularly with injuries hitting Isco and Asensio hard this season, and with Kroos now playing in a more advanced role after the emergence of Fede Valverde, it’s quite uncertain what the future holds for Odegaard in the capital and football giants. But with the Norwegian valued at £50 million, he may represent good value for money for the citizens, and a capable replacement for Leroy who’s certainly heading for Bayern.
Will be interesting to see how Leroy’s departure influences city’s transfer plans particularly when they won’t be offering any champions league football next season should EUFA and CAS uphold the ban meted against them.
