Man City hit gold on “special talent” who cost £0

Manchester City have got some issues with depth at right-back. Kyle Walker departed the club midway through the January transfer window, joining AC Milan on loan until the end of the season. There is no guarantee he will return to the Etihad Stadium because the Italian giants have an option to buy him.

Someone who Pep Guardiola has turned to as an option at right-back is Matheus Nunes. Although the Portuguese star has played there fairly often, he has looked all at sea.

Most recently, in City’s 3-1 Champions League win over Club Brugge, Nunes received a 4/10 for his efforts from Simon Bajkowski, chief Manchester City writer for the Manchester Evening News, having been undone for the away side’s opener.

With that in mind, it might not be a surprise to see City chasing a deal for Juventus full-back Andre Cambiaso.

Man City’s pursuit of Cambiaso

It has been a quick rise for Juve defender Cambiaso. The 24-year-old has played for a whole host of clubs across Italy, originally coming through the academy at Genoa. After making the move to the Allianz Stadium, he has become a key player for the Old Lady.

Over the course of one and a half seasons in Turin, Cambiaso has played 67 games for the Serie A giants across all competitions. In that time, he has grabbed five goals and eight assists, creating the only goal in the 2023/24 Coppa Italia final against Atalanta, to help Juve to the trophy.

If there is one thing he would bring to City, it is versatility. Whilst they have predominantly got issues at right-back, he has also played at left-back, and in the centre of midfield for Juve during his time at the club so far. That adaptability is surely something Guardiola would love to have available in his squad.

In terms of a price for Cambiaso, he could cost anywhere upwards of £67m, according to a report from GiveMeSport a couple of days ago. Given the money City have spent this winter, it is not clear if they could afford that deal.

However, perhaps this is not a signing City even need to make since they have another versatile full-back in the squad who is worth even more than Cambiaso.

The Man City star worth more than Cambiaso

The player in question here is academy graduate Rico Lewis. It has been an extraordinary rise to the top for the Englishman, who is now fully capped by his country. Within the last two and a half seasons, he has gone from being an academy prospect to an important player for his boyhood club.

Indeed, Lewis, who hails from Bury, has played 80 games for the Citizens so far, after making his debut in 2022/23. He has a similar number of goal involvements to Cambiaso, with four goals and eight assists for Guardiola’s side so far.

That included a strike in his first-ever Champions League start, a 3-1 win at home to Sevilla.

Like the Italian defender, Lewis is a Swiss army knife, able to play in a multitude of positions. So far in his short City career, Guardiola has been able to call upon him to play right across the backline and all over midfield, including as a number 10.

According to CIES Football Observatory, the young England defender is valued at as high as £73m, slightly more than the £67m-rated Juventus man. That certainly begs the question, do City actually need to break the bank for Cambiaso?

They already have someone who is of a similar profile; a versatile player who excels at right-back but can also slot into midfield, and is comfortable inverting. Whilst Cambiaso is an exciting player, they have a “special talent” of their own in Lewis, as football statistician Statman Dave described him.

Perhaps it is smarter for City to save the money and for Guardiola to put his faith in Lewis and give him a run as the first-choice right-back.

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