Will Antoine Semenyo fire Manchester City to the Premier League title this season?
At the moment, it does look unlikely that Pep Guardiola’s men can catch league leaders Arsenal, with three frustrating draws in a row killing their momentum.
But, with the added injection of Semenyo to the ranks, who has ten Premier League goals this season already, he could just be the man to spark City into life, after some less-than-lethal displays as of late.
Annoyingly, not all of Guardiola’s problems are solved with this standout capture, though, with the Manchester giants surely still on the hunt for defensive reinforcements to make up for Josko Gvardiol’s worrying injury situation.
The City stalwart looks to be out of action for some time now, owing to a fractured leg injury, as several defensive targets flood the Premier League side’s ever-growing shopping list.
Man City hold talks over signing Guehi alternative
Of course, the main rumour spiralling at the Etihad right now, when it comes to defensive reinforcements, is Marc Guehi arriving from Crystal Palace.
It had been stated that City were “confident” about securing a deal for the Eagles star, but that could now be troubled by Arsenal’s emergence onto the scene to try and snap up the in-demand 25-year-old.
Guardiola and Co. will be keeping their options wide open for who could come into the building to plug gaps, with Ruben Dias also sidelined, as Jhon Lucumi now appears as a top target, according to reports from Spain.
It has been revealed, as a result of City’s urgent attempts to land bodies in the centre-back department, that the Bologna titan has shot up their list of targets to be near the very top, with ‘exploratory’ talks also alleged to be underway to iron out a deal.
Bologna will be hesitant to part ways, but money could well talk at the end of the day, with City potentially landing a Gvardiol-style defender to soften the horrible blow of the Croat’s long-term absence, if the Colombian colossus swaps the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara for the Etihad shortly.
Why Lucumi could be Gvardiol 2.0
Of course, Guehi does have plenty of Premier League experience already on his side.
But, if City don’t want to play long ball with Oliver Glasner’s men over a deal, Lucumi is a more than fitting alternative to pursue, with the South American a confident and composed performer in defence, with a bite also present when needed, much like the injury-stricken Gvardiol.
While Erling Haaland is the usual unerring performer who dominates conversations at the Etihad, Gvardiol has been at the top of his game in Manchester for some time, as well, with the number 24 up to two goals and two assists already for the season as “one of the most important players in the side”, as per content creator Steven Mcinerney.
Indeed, with a “flawless” ability to pick out a pass, as ex-England star Steph Houghton once noted, evidenced in his 90% pass accuracy for the campaign, it’s no wonder those with sky blue connections are devastated by his season-ending layoff.
Thankfully, this is where the addition of Lucumi could come to the rescue.
Lucumi’s Serie A numbers (25/26)
Stat – per 90 mins*
Lucumi
Games played
14
Goals scored
1
Assists
0
Touches*
65.6
Accurate passes*
49.4 (89%)
Ball recoveries*
4.9
Total duels won*
3.0
Clean sheets
3
Stats by Sofascore
Left-footed much like Gvardiol, Lucumi is also an “ice-cold” performer with the ball at his feet, as he has been labelled by scout Ben Mattinson in the past, with an 89% pass accuracy averaged in Serie A this campaign.
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Moreover, away from being “insanely secure” on the ball – as Mattinson also added – to be seen as a centre-back similarly at ease to that of the sidelined 23-year-old, the Bologna number 26 won’t fear any of the physical challenges that lie ahead for him in the Premier League, having won all 100% of his duels against Italian giants Juventus back in December, in a combative contest.
The towering defender, who comes in at an imposing 6-foot-2 frame, also possesses Gvardiol’s knack to pop up with a goal or assist on occasion, with the South American up to ten goal contributions across a career that further saw him shine in Belgium with Genk.
The next move for Lucumi could well be to earn his stripes in England as a stand-in for the sidelined Croat, having been lauded as an “unreal” brute defensively by journalist Ethan Todd, when previously being eyed up by Sunderland.
With Semenyo now through the door, City will surely look to speed up proceedings to land more centre-back depth, to soften the blow of Gvardiol being in the Etihad treatment room, with Lucumi sticking out as a gem of a purchase, if a move does accelerate into motion.
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