Ever since Rodri tore his ACL earlier this season, Manchester City have had a glaring hole in midfield, leading to a shocking regression for the five-time defending Premier League champions.
City sit fourth in the Premier League table on Deadline Day of the winter transfer window, yet to find a solution for their midfield struggles.
On the final day of the winter window, they appear to have identified a player who could solve the problem as they’ve gone for Porto midfielder Nico Gonzalez, who they hope will be a contributor both in the short-term as they look to repair the damage done this season, and beyond.
The Sporting News discusses how Gonzalez could fit in this season, and why he actually appears to be more of a long-term solution to replace other aging players in the Man City system.
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Who is Nico Gonzalez? Man City signing former Barcelona academy grad
23-year-old Nico Gonzalez has reportedly signed for Man City on a €60 million deal from FC Porto.
Not to be confused with the Argentina international who plays for Juventus on loan from Fiorentina, Gonzalez is a graduate of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy and enjoyed a short stint with the first team before moving to
According to The Athletic, Barcelona have a significant 40 percent sell-on clause that will see them profit heavily from this big-money transfer.
Gonzalez was sent out on loan at Valencia for the 2022/23 season before Barcelona saw him sold to Porto at the end of the campaign. He has been in Portugal since, where he’s made 68 appearances for the club, scoring nine goals and assisting nine more.
How does Nico Gonzalez fit at Man City?
Man City’s transfer policy has never been about short-term solutions.
Even in their current crisis, they did not wish to make a move with only the next four months in mind. Thus, an acquisition of Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi was not an option, as he was seen as too similar to Rodri for them both to co-exist.
This is what brought them to Nico Gonzalez. City will hope the 23-year-old can do a job in defensive midfield with Rodri absent, but his real purpose may lie as a long-term replacement for aging midfield mainstays Ilkay Gundogan or Bernardo Silva.
What sort of midfielder is Nico Gonzalez?
Gonzalez, in truth, is not a traditional defensive midfielder. Instead, he’s more of a ball-playing No. 8, with proficiencies in recycling and maintaining possession, plus excellent dribbling skills and an aerial strength.
This can help City retain better possession, especially when going in front, something they have sorely lacked over the whole of this season.
He does not, however, possess strong abilities in tackling or intercepting opposition play, which could leave Man City still vulnerable on counter-attacks, a massive weakness in Rodri’s absence.
The club may wish to deploy him at the No. 6 temporarily, believing that he can do the job, but in his current profile he does not display such talents.
According to FBRef, Gonzalez is in the 35th percentile for tackling amongst European midfielders, and the sixth percentile in interceptions. However, there are indications that his tackling was a volume problem instead of a proficiency one — his tackling success rate of 54% puts him in the 70th percentile.
Where Gonzalez excels is dribbling — he is in the 89th percentile for successful take-ons — and aerial duels, where he’s an absolute monster. Additionally, he is proficient as a late-arriving option in the penalty area.
Sound familiar? This is probably what Man City had hoped they could squeeze out of Gundogan for another season before realizing Father Time had advanced much quicker on their former hero than initially believed.
Better yet, his abilities could see him take over in Silva’s role long-term, with the Portugal international beginning to slow after starring for years in a hybrid wide midfield role.
