Man City considering swoop for £35m “cheat code”

It is fair to say that Manchester City have not had an ideal start to the season and that Pep Guardiola will be disappointed with the team’s results so far.

They went into the last international break of 2024 off the back of four successive defeats across all competitions and the Spanish head coach will be plotting ways to get his side back to their best when they return to action next weekend.

The Cityzens were, firstly, knocked out of the League Cup by Tottenham Hotspur and that is one trophy that they will not be lifting this season.

City also lost back-to-back games in the Premier League, against Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion, either side of being smashed 4-1 by Sporting in the Champions League.

It has been a rough few weeks for the Premier League champions and they currently find themselves five points adrift of Liverpool, who have won nine of their 11 matches, in the race for the title.

There are less than two months left to go before the January transfer window officially opens for business and Guardiola could look to dip into the winter market to improve his options across the pitch.

Manchester City eyeing Bundesliga star

According to Football Insider, Manchester City are considering a deal to sign Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen ahead of the second half of the season.

The report claims that the Cityzens are looking for long-term replacements for Kyle Walker in the right-back position and the Netherlands international has been identified as a possible target.

It states that the former Celtic man is viewed as an ideal option to come in and bolster the squad due to his pre-existing knowledge and familiarity with the club, having come up through the academy system in Manchester before leaving for the Hoops in 2019.

Football Insider adds that City are also keeping tabs on versatile Brentford defender Sepp van den Berg, who joined the Bees from Liverpool in the summer, as an alternative option to Frimpong.

The Daily Mail recently reported that Liverpool are also interested in the Leverkusen sensation, who reportedly has a release clause of around £35m, which shows that there could be serious competition for his signature in January, or next summer.

Frimpong, who was once hailed as a “cheat code” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has proven his quality in the Bundesliga in recent seasons and could come in as an excellent addition for City, which would be bad news for Walker in the short-term.

Kyle Walker’s declining performances

After turning 34 in May, the England international will know that he is now entering the final throes of his playing career and is not going to be the long-term right-back option for the Cityzens.

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However, the signing of Frimpong in January would accelerate his regression to squad player status, which could potentially force him to consider his future at The Etihad, with a World Cup in 2026 to consider.

Walker has started five of his seven appearances in the Premier League so far this season but his performances on the pitch have left a bit to be desired, as his displays have declined in comparison to his form last term.

In the 2023/24 campaign, the veteran full-back started 30 of the club’s 38 top-flight matches and was only dribbled past 0.6 times per game on average, which shows that attackers found it difficult to get the better of him.

The former Tottenham Hotspur speedster also won 54% of his ground duels and 63% of his aerial contests, as he was able to dominate opposition forwards in physical battles.

As you can see in the table above, Walker is currently losing more of his duels and being dribbled past more often than he did last season in the Premier League.

This shows that his performances have been declining and that is another reason why this news of the interest in Frimpong is bad news for the right-back, as his time as a regular starter for the club could be coming to an end.

Why Jeremie Frimpong would be a good signing

The Dutch defender has already had experience with the Cityzens, having played 62 times for the club at U18 and U23 level, and this suggests that he would not need much time to settle in around the training ground, city, or country.

This suggests that he would be a perfect addition in the January transfer window because he could hit the ground running. Whereas, a player with no experience at City or in England coming in midway through a campaign could need weeks or months to adapt.

Frimpong’s performances in the Bundesliga in recent seasons, since his move to Leverkusen from Celtic, also suggest that the potential is there for him to be a quality addition to the squad and a fantastic long-term replacement for Walker.

The 23-year-old star, who is 11 years younger than the Englishman, has racked up an eye-catching 26 goals and 38 assists across 158 games in all competitions for the German side, which shows that he can make a big impact in the final third from a right-back or right wing-back role.

As you can see in the table above, Frimpong outperformed Walker as an attacking threat at league level, and attacking players did not beat him as frequently in dribbles.

The Dutchman, who has scored one goal and provided two assists in eight Bundesliga starts this season, can combine quality in possession with dynamism and defensive solidity, at least in the German top-flight.

These statistics suggest that Frimpong could come in as an upgrade on Walker, on current form, and be a fantastic long-term replacement, which is bad news for the Englishman and his prospects of starting regularly beyond the January window.

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