Which players from the 8-way relegation scrap would best suit Manchester City?

by William Russell

From left to right: Brennan Johnson (Nottingham Forest) Michael Olise (Crystal Palace) Romeo Lavia (Southampton)

As the Premier League season draws towards the finishing line, there are important conclusions to be made across the entire league table.

Arsenal and Manchester City are in an enthralling title race, which will surely go right down to the wire, whilst Manchester United, Newcastle United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and even Brighton and Hove Albion are fighting for the remaining places in the top 4.

But perhaps the most interesting conclusions to be made at the end of this season come from the relegation scrap, with only 4 points separating Crystal Palace in 12th place and Southampton in 20th place.

So, in a hypothetical scenario, if each of these clubs were to go down, then which players would be the best options for Manchester City at a cut price deal?

And, to make it clear before we start, this is judged solely on how well the players would fit in with Pep Guardiola's system, so don't be surprised to see players such as Wilfried Zaha miss the cut.

12th place - Crystal Palace

Image courtesy of Nairametrics

Crystal Palace probably have the biggest array of talents City could make use of.

Palace have built their team around a blend of youth and experience, all of whom fitted in with former manager Patrick Vieria's way of thinking, before he was, inexplicably, sacked on Friday morning.

There are a few players who City could certainly make use of. Eberechi Eze, for example, is a young, talented midfielder who is excellent technically and is a skilful dribbler. He can play further up the pitch, off the left wing, and in a deeper lying midfield role, and that level of flexibility would make him an ideal player for Pep Guardiola.

Eze is still very much a raw talent and probably isn't yet at the required level to play for Manchester City, however, at the age of 24, he certainly still has time to develop to reach that standard.

Marc Guehi, is a talented young defender, and is comfortable on the ball to boot, however, City are already well stocked at centre back. Tyrick Mitchell is a promising young defender, and would offer a different option at full back. However, Mitchell isn't necessarily what City need in a full back, at this point in time.

But the player who'd suit City's system best has to Michael Olise. He is technically fantastic, has an exquisite first touch and has a wonderful left foot, with which he can cut inside and bend a shot into the far corner.

Sound at all familiar, City fans? In terms of style, Olise is extremely similar to Riyad Mahrez, with the only difference perhaps only being Mahrez's decision making in front of goal being superior. Olise is only 21, however, and end product is one thing that Guardiola specialises in improving. And with Mahrez just turned 32, it would seem that Olise would be the perfect long term replacement for Mahrez on the right hand side of City's front 3.

13th place - Wolverhampton Wanderers

It seems harsh to involve Wolves in this list; their form has certainly increased since the World Cup as new manager Julien Lopetegui adapts the team to his management style and tactical differences to predecessor Bruno Lage.

Last season, Wolves were pushing for Europe. As such, they have numerous players with the quality to hold their own in the Manchester City team.

Ruben Neves is the obvious name that stands out.

The Portuguese is frequently linked to big teams, with Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona all linked with him in the past.

Interestingly though, never Manchester City. But with slight concerns over Kalvin Phillips's long term future at City, and a with relegation being a possibility for Wolves, then Neves to City would make perfect sense.

Neves is aggressive and tenacious off the ball and secure on it, as well as having the unique ability to spray consistently accurate long passes in behind and out to the wingers whilst still maintaining an extremely high passing accuracy.

So it'd seem that Neves would be an excellent signing for City, but how about anyone else?

Wolves seem to specialise in fast, direct, skilful forwards, who's main weakness is end product. However, this is something Pep Guardiola specialises in improving, so the likes of Adama Traore, Daniel Podence and Pedro Neto could potentially be a good fit.

Max Kilman would seem to be the perfect left footed central defender for a Guardiola team, however, much as the same reason as Guehi, he wouldn't be viewed at right now. Rayan Ait-Nouri is a name that has been linked to City in the past, possibly as an option for the future, however, he doesn't fit in the current system as he is a typically more offensive full back.

And of course, don't forget Matheus Nunes, who Pep Guardiola once labelled "one of the best players in the world" after City beat Sporting Lisbon 5-0 in the UEFA Champions league Round of 16 last year.

14th place - Leeds United

What links Marcelo Bielsa, and Julia Roberts, I hear you ask?

Both of these (very different) people are among a prestigious group that are idolised by Pep Guardiola, Bielsa more so for his football management ability, rather than his acting ability.

For this reason, many players from Leeds United would fit well into Manchester City's system, as a lot of Guardiola's ideas, such as emphasis on attacking, possession based football and playing a lone defensive midfielder, are based around those adapted from Bielsa.

Illan Meslier is an upcoming Ederson in more ways than one, not just because of his superb distribution and his effectiveness when coming off his line, but also in his complete unpredictability when it comes to making a completely rash decision at any time that could pose disastrous consequences.

Maximillian Wober and Pascal Struijk are both typical Guardiola defenders; composed, versatile and left footed, whilst Marc Roca could be an interesting option at the base of midfield, due to his history playing for Bayern Munich.

But the best option surely has to be Wilfried Gnonto. The young winger is a handful, combining his pace and agility with skill and end product. Considering he is already a part of the Italy first team set-up, add him to a Pep Guardiola team, and the results will be frightening.

15th place - Everton

If your initial reaction to seeing Everton in 15th place was "How are Everton that high up in the league?" then don't worry, you're not alone.

There has certainly been an increase in form for the Toffees since the appointment of Sean Dyche, with his first game in charge being a victory against 1st place Arsenal.

But when it comes to valuable assets for City's squad, there are limited options in the current Everton squad.

Jordan Pickford qualifies as a valuable asset; he has vast amounts of international experience, is a good shot stopper and has kept Everton in numerous games in previous seasons. However, his proneness to making a rash decision is even more of an issue for him than it is for Ederson or Meslier, and he wouldn't exactly fit in with Guardiola's strict "no bad faces" policy.

In terms of the rest of the squad, there is promise with the likes of Demari Gray, Amadou Onana, Nathan Patterson and perhaps even Ben Godfrey, if Erling Haaland can put his personal feelings to one side.

But perhaps the best option would be Idrissa Gana Gueye, who is a combative, tenacious, aggressive defensive midfielder. His technique is not quite at the required level to play at Manchester City, but he does, at least, have experience in the Champions League, and he certainly would be a useful bench option for the Blues.

16th place - Nottingham Forest

Since the start of the 2022 summer transfer window, they have signed 31 players. Surely, at least one of them, has to be of good use to City?

And there certainly are a few who'd be of good use. Morgan Gibbs-White is seen as many to be the Reds' talisman, and his versatility would certainly make him a good rotation option for City, at either the left wing or the left sided 8 position.

Keylor Navas is an experienced goalkeeper who can add a lot to the dressing room, and has won multiple Champions League titles with Real Madrid. However, with Ederson and Stefan Ortega Moreno both satisfying the City board and coaching staff in their current roles, then there'd be little point to this signing.

There's also room to experiment with players such as Renan Lodi, with him having Champions League experience under his belt when playing for Atletico Madrid.

But perhaps the best option for City would be Welsh winger Brennan Johnson. The 21 year old would offer something different for City, due to his pace, directness and finishing. He is a versatile forward, with the ability to play in any of the 3 forward positions, and the weaker sides of his games can easily be worked on, as he'd be surrounded by a squad full of technically sublime players, all of whom can help him adapt his game to fit in more with Pep Guardiola's system, whilst also adding his own abilities to the party.

17th place - Leicester City

For Leicester City, surely there's only one answer?

This is no disrespect at all to the likes of Youri Tielemans, who has been linked to numerous big clubs practically ever since he moved to Leicester in 2019. It looks like he may well get his move in the summer this season, but surely there are more viable options than City? Arsenal and PSG are amongst the clubs currently linked to Tielemans, and they're much more likely to give him playing time more similar to what he is currently receiving at Leicester,

Faes falls in the same bracket as both Guehi and Kilman as being a composed centre back who is at the required level to play for City, yet would find himself 6th in line behind City's 5 current centre backs. Castagne is a versatile full back, and I could fully well see him playing the "drop into midfield" full back role from either side. However, he has struggled for fitness throughout his spell at Leicester, and well not be good enough to play for Manchester City.

On the wings, Barnes and Tete are exciting dynamic players, and it'd be interesting to see what Pep Guardiola could do with them.

But surely English midfielder James Maddison is the best option for Manchester City.

Maddison can play on either wing, just off the striker in a number 10 position, or in a deeper lying role in midfield. His creative presence has been the driving force behind Leicester City's attack this season, and there is a notable difference to the entire team's performance when he is and isn't playing.

Obviously, he wouldn't have this impact on City. However, with both Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva rumoured to be leaving the club at the end of the season, then Maddison would be an excellent addition to the City squad. He would add to the club's growing home grown players list, and Guardiola certainly wouldn't stand for any nonsense, with a few sources claiming him to be arrogant and have a poor attitude.

With Jack Gaughan from the Daily Mail claiming City are indeed interested, this could in fact be the most likely transfer of all the players on this list, for this upcoming transfer window, at least.

18th place - West Ham United

West Ham fall very much in the same category of Wolves, as they're in a relegation battle that they wouldn't have expected to find themselves in at the start of the season.

Nevertheless, they are in the last 8 of the UEFA Conference League, after finishing 7th place last season, are still have plenty of quality players that could be useful squad options for City.

Lucas Paqueta is an option that City were exploring as a potential Bernardo Silva replacement when he was linked to an exit in the summer. He started the season slowly as a number 10, but he began to thrive as he dropped deeper next to Declan Rice in midfield, and then Casemiro for the Brazil national team. Perhaps this could be recreated at City with Rodri, allowing extra freedom to Kevin de Bruyne in attacking positions.

Jarrod Bowen would provide something different as an option on the wing, due to his pace, directness and finishing ability; he'd provide similar qualities to Raheem Sterling. If he could recreate his form of last season, then he could be a fantastic addition at a cut price.

But the main name screaming out is Declan Rice.

The 24 year old Englishman is an experienced international, who is fantastic at carrying the ball through the lines and defending transitions. Whilst it seems extremely unlikely he'll displace Rodri from the City side, he'll certainly be an asset to the squad, as his versatility means he could play at centre back, defensive midfield or in a more advanced number 8 position.

The only stumbling block would be the competition for him, as Arsenal and Chelsea are vying for his signature as soon as possible. As well as this, West Ham are demanding a stupendously high fee for him, perhaps as much as £150 million, which is too high for any player with just one year remaining on their contract.

So for the current fee, it wouldn't work, but if West Ham lower their demands, or if Rice lets his contract run down until he can leave on a free in 2024, then this transfer would work for all parties.

19th place - Bournemouth

If you thought my section on Everton was slim pickings, then Bournemouth is really scraping the bottom of the barrel.

It would be disrespectful to the Cherries to deny that they have good players. The likes of Phillip Billing, Dominic Solanke, Dango Outtara and Jefferson Lerma are all good players, but none of them are really at the required level to play for Manchester City, or they're in a position where there is enough cover already.

There are 2 players who stand out, however. Marcus Tavernier is one of them; he is a talented, skilful, versatile midfielder who impressed at the Etihad when the two clubs met back in August. In terms of the way he plays, his wonderful left foot, dynamism and work rate makes him seem just like a young Bernardo Silva.

Like the other 4 players mentioned above, he's probably not at the required standard to play for City right now, but, at the age of 24, he has a lot of time to develop, meaning he'd likely fit in well at the Blues.

The other player who could fit in well at City is Jordan Zemura.

The 23 year old Zimbabwean has a lot of attributes that he could bring to the party at City: pace, directness and good quality in high positions. He did struggle very much against Phil Foden at the Vitality Stadium earlier this season, but he has plenty of time to work on his defensive skills. If they remain an issue, then he could remodel himself as a winger, much in the same way Bukayo Saka and Gareth Bale did, where he can offer plenty to a talented City side.

20th - Southampton

Southampton have many talented players, and most of them have come from Manchester City.

Samuel Edozie has kicked on since he's arrived at St Mary's Stadium, and there'd be very few City fans who wouldn't take him back at the Etihad. he's fast skilful, committed and has trained at the club before, meaning he'll be familiar with what he needs to improve in his game. He's no Phil Foden, but he'd certainly be an asset.

Gavin Bazunu falls into the same category, however, it'll be much more difficult for the Irishman to displace Ederson and Ortega Moreno from the pecking order. James Ward-Prowse would be useful for his set piece ability alone, with many believing he is the best free kick taker in Premier League history. But the 28 year old Englishman isn't just a one trick pony - he's aggressive and very hard working, with the ability to play as a holding midfielder, a box to box player or even as a number 10.

But the most plausible option, which is in fact one of the most likely deals to happen in this entire list, would be young Belgian midfielder Romeo Lavia. According to Italian journalist and transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, Lavia has a £40 million buy back clause applying to City only, from 2024 onwards. Given Chelsea had a bizarre £50 million bid for Lavia rejected on transfer deadline day rejected in the summer, then it'd seem to be good business for City.

The 19 year old would be the perfect back up holding midfielder for City in many ways, he's composed, tenacious, extremely intelligent and can break the lines with a pass.

City will have had this scenario in mind when the included the buy back clause; Lavia could well be the long term future for City at the base of midfield.