Man City set to overtake Liverpool on £60m sensational player who was hailed as a “menace” by U23 teams
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Manchester City made history last season when they became the first team in the Premier League era to win four titles in succession in the top-flight.
Pep Guardiola’s side secured the title ahead of Arsenal in a fierce race for the trophy and have now dominated the division over the last four years.
The Cityzens will now be looking to extend the record they just set by securing a fifth Premier League success in a row in the upcoming season.
Despite their impressive success in the league in recent years, the club could still look to dip into the market to bolster the playing squad during the summer transfer window.
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Guardiola could look to add to his options across the park to compete on all fronts after his side failed to win the Champions League or either of the domestic cups last term.
The Spanish head coach is reportedly keen to improve in the wide areas as a target from a fellow Premier League club has emerged this month.
Manchester City eyeing Premier League wizard
According to Football Insider, Manchester City have joined the race to sign £75m-rated Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
The report claims that the Cityzens have ‘registered an interest’ in the England international ahead of a possible swoop for his services this summer.
It states that they are now battling it out with fellow Premier League giants Liverpool to snap up the former Everton academy graduate to bolster their wide options.
Anthony Gordon England Press Conference
Football Insider adds that Arne Slot’s Reds have already held talks with Newcastle over a potential deal to sign Gordon but their demands have put them off going any further at this point.
The outlet reveals that Guardiola wants to add a ‘lethal’ forward to his ranks and the English speedster has been identified as a target to fulfill that desire.
Gordon has two years left on his contract at St. James’ Park but Football Insider does not state how much the Magpies are seeking in terms of a fee for the forward.
Liverpool being put off by their demands suggests that they are looking for a sizeable amount of money for the talented wizard, but it remains to be seen exactly how much it will take.
If City do decide to press ahead with a deal for Gordon and pay the fee Newcastle are demanding, though, then they could land an instant upgrade on Jeremy Doku.
Jeremy Doku’s first season at City in numbers
The Cityzens swooped to sign the Belgium international from French side Rennes last summer and the forward enjoyed a solid first year in English football.
Doku was given plenty of chances to impress in the Premier League by Guardiola as he ended the season with 29 appearances and 18 starts in the division.
The 22-year-old attacker is a winger who can play on either flank and looks to provide a constant threat on the ball with his direct running and skill to beat opposition players on the flanks.
23/24 Premier League
Jeremy Doku
Appearances
29
Goals
3
xA
5.86
Big chances created
5
Assists
8
As you can see in the table above, the Belgian whiz’s end product left a bit to be desired as the forward only scored three goals in 29 Premier League appearances.
Doku was also helped out by his City teammates as they scored eight goals from the chances he created, despite only racking up 5.86 xA and five ‘big chances’.
This suggests that the 22-year-old ace still has plenty of development left to go through before he can be considered a ‘lethal’ attacking threat who can be relied upon week-in-week-out.
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The Cityzens speedster, who produced one goal and one assist in seven Champions League games, has not proven himself to be a consistent scorer or creator of high-quality chances, with a combined eight goals and ‘big chances’ created in 29 Premier League matches.
There could, therefore, be room for Guardiola to dip into the market this summer to sign a player with the ability to provide more quality in the final third next season.
This is where Gordon could come in and be an upgrade on the Belgium international, based on his impressive form for Newcastle during the 2023/24 campaign.
Why Anthony Gordon could be an upgrade on Jeremy Doku
Firstly, the English dynamo is also a right-footed winger who can play on either flank and uses his pace to cause constant problems for opposition defenders.
This means that he is similar in style to the current City forward and could fulfill a similar role to him in Guardiola’s system on the wing next season.
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Like Doku, Gordon is also a young player – aged 23 – who has plenty of time left to develop and improve, which means that the Spanish boss can work with him to develop his game over the years to come. This makes him a signing for the immediate future as well as being a long-term project for the club.
What the Newcastle forward does have over Doku, though, is that he has proven himself to be a reliable attacker at Premier League level with his performances last season.
23/24 Premier League
Appearances
35
29
Goals
11
3
Assists
10
8
Big chances created
16
5
Assists
1.6
1.6
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Gordon offered significantly more to his team as a threat in the final third in comparison to the former Rennes man in the top-flight.
The £60k-per-week English sensation, who was hailed as a “menace” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, scored over three times as many goals and created over three times as many ‘big chances’ in comparison to Doku.
These statistics suggest that he is a better winger than the Belgian forward at Premier League level as he has the quality to make a bigger impact as both a scorer and a creator of goals from the same position on the left flank.
Therefore, City should swoop to sign Gordon to improve the quality and depth of their options out wide ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
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