Manchester City bound Rayan Cherki

 

Manchester City mean business this summer. After a trophyless season, City are hellbent on reclaiming their place at the summit of domestic and European football. Tijjani Reijnders bolsters the midfield considerably, while Rayan Ait-Nouri is the long-term solution to City’s left-back issues. 

 

Now, City are close to confirming the signing of Rayan Cherki from Lyon for a reported €35m. For a player of his calibre, and scope for development, City have landed themselves a bargain in the current market. 

 

While predominantly viewed as a winger, Cherki’s deployment in the number 10 role for Lyon last season is what should excite City fans. They are well stocked with wide players at present, though Cherki’s ability to play on the right is an added bonus, and the elephant in the room that ultimately needed addressing was Kevin De Bruyne’s replacement. 

 

 

The Belgian departs the Etihad Stadium this summer after a trophy-laden stint in Manchester, with Napoli his most likely destination. While injuries impacted De Bruyne’s final campaign at City, he still finished the season joint-top for key passes per 90 (3), while four goals and seven assists was a commendable return for the experienced Belgian. 

 

Few, though, will come close to matching De Bruyne’s impact in the Premier League. Cherki is arguably the closest City will get to replacing the 33-year-old. Despite starting just 22 of 34 league matches, no player registered more assists than Cherki (11) in Ligue 1 last season. 

 

In addition, Cherki finished top for big chances created (22) and accurate through balls (13), and among the top 15 players for key passes (75) and successful dribbles (48). He’s a player with an eye for a defence splitting pass, and one who can wriggle his way out of tight situations with ease. 

 

Supporters bore witness to Cherki’s quality in the final third in his cameo against Spain last week. France may have fallen to a 5-4 defeat in the UEFA Nations League semi-final against the European champions, but that they came so close to springing an upset was due to the 21-year-old’s impact off the bench. 

 

 

And in a City side that does dominate, Cherki should thrive. Pep Guardiola’s side finished top for possession (61.6%) in the Premier League last season but they struggled to make their dominance count. Indeed, the number of key passes per game dropped from 14.3 in 2023/24 to 12.4. The missed the spark De Bruyne brought to the side, but this should be reignited with Cherki. 

 

There is the added dynamism Cherki will bring to the side combined with a quality end product that has been found wanting, and his ability to unlock low defensive blocks means we should see City return to their steamrolling self before too long. Factor in the addition of Reijnders to the midfield and Pep Guardiola has the requisite creator and box crasher that adds alternative routes to goal and boosts their chances of knocking Liverpool off their perch. 

 

Interest in Cherki’s services will have been high this summer after a fine campaign for Lyon and City have done well to nail down his capture prior to the Club World Cup. As for a De Bruyne successor, Cherki is probably about close to the Belgian as City could have acquired.

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