Manchester City on Wednesday confirmed the arrival of Dutch defender Nathan Ake from Bournemouth, this signing takes Guardiola’s spendings on defenders to over £300 million since his arrival.
The Spanish tactician arrived at Man City in 2016 from Bayern Munich after spending three years with the Bavarians, winning eight trophies in his three years reign.
Pep’s kind of football requires his player to be versatile and comfortable on the ball, hence, his love for young and dynamic players. Since his time at Man City Guardiola for all his passion for attacking football has made more high profile singing on defenders than he has for attackers.
A look at the high profile defenders Pep has signed over the years at Man City.
Jao Cancelo,26, Transfer fee: £60 million
Cancelo was bought from Juventus in a player plus cash deal in a bid to give cover and competition to the team’s right-back position which is filled by Kyle Walker. He has only been able to make 17 appearances since his arrival. Starting only 34% of Man City 2019/20 season with injuries and poor form contributing to his inability to displace Kyle Walker from the position.
Aymeric Laporte, 26, Transfer fee: £58.5 million
The Spanish defender was signed for a club-record fee in order to solidify Man City’s defence from Athletico Bilbao.
Laporte presence was instantly felt following his arrival, making a total of 59 appearances before he sustained an injury on his knee in August and had to undergo surgery which made him miss a large portion of the season.
Benjamen Bendy, 26, £52 million
Mendy was signed on a five years contract after a fairytale title-winning season for Monaco, Guardiola is a fan of the French man’s attacking instinct on the ball. Unfortunately, injury worriers have limited Mendy’s impact on the team but has been able to make 36 appearances and assisted two goals.
John Stones, 26, £47.5 million
Stones moved to Man City in 2016 after spending four seasons at Everton for an initial fee of £47.5 plus add-on. His use of the ball and range of pass to build an attack from the defense was one of the attributes Guardiola loved. Stones has made a total of 85 appearances since his transfer, but his poor form has seen his chances limited in recent times.
Kyle Walker, 30, £45 million
The English man moved to Man City in 2017 for an initial fee plus add-on worth £50 million which made him one of the most expensive transfers for a defender. He has made the Man City right-back position is own ever since his transfer, with his attacking run forward a constant threat to oppositions. With over 90 appearances and two goals with the English defender keeping a clean sheet as an emergency goalkeeper.
Nathan Ake, 25, £41 million
The Dutch defender is the latest addition to the Man City squad following the relegation of his former club Bournemouth. Ake was one of the standout performers for Heddie Howe during their stay in the Premier League, with a tremendous physical presence and use of ball which convinced the Man City boss Nathan Ake could do well at the club. He made over 100 appearances for Bournemouth in three seasons also scoring eleven goals. Man City would surely hope he bring some of his goalscoring trick to the club.
Danilo Luiz da Silva, 29, £26.5 million
Danilo was one of the failed transfers of the club, he was brought in from Real Madrid in 2017/2018 and could only manage 34 appearances with four goals but couldn’t sustain a long run of form as he was eventually used as a bargaining chip in the transfer of Jao Cancelo from Juventus.
Jose Angel Esmoris Tasende (Angelino), 23 , £11million
Angelino had initially joined the club as a young boy in 2014-2017 before he was eventually sold and resigned from PSV as a cover for the defense, but could only make six appearances and was eventually loaned out to German club RB Leipzig for the rest of the 2019/20 season.
Nicolas Otamendi was also brought in from Valencia in 2015 in a deal worth around £32 million and has been a loyal servant with over 136 appearances for the club despite his style of play not particularly the kind Guardiola would like.
Guardiola has spent more than 50% of his total transfer at Man City on defenders, a contrast to the Catalan born’s belief, but his type of defenders complement his style of football and bring versatility to his team.
And, Napoli’s £100 million rated Koulibaly is also reported to be on Guardiola’s radar as he gets set to reshuffle his defense AGAIN.
but one thing is for sure, the Etihad chiefs will surely not complain if the trophies keep coming.
