Manchester City have had some legendary players over the past ten or so years, in which they have been dominating the Premier League. The Cityzens’ fifth all-time record appearance maker is David Silva, who played 436 games for the club and was a pivotal figure in their midfield.
Some of their other Premier League legends include Sergio Aguero, who is the club’s all-time record goalscorer by some distance, with 260 goals in that famous Blue shirt. Vincent Kompany is another iconic figure and played 360 times for the Cityzens.
However, arguably their greatest-ever player is a man still playing for the club today, Kevin de Bruyne.
De Bruyne’s stats for Man City
When City signed De Bruyne in 2015 from Wolfsburg, it was certainly seen as a risky move by many. He cost them a then-club record fee of £55m, and whilst he impressed in Germany, he had struggled in the Premier League before.
His first experience of English football was not a positive one. The Belgian midfielder played for Chelsea in 2013/14, but never managed to make a name for himself at Stamford Bridge. De Bruyne played nine times for the Blues, a total of just 426 minutes, although did manage an assist in the Premier League.
Thus, it was a bold move for City to bring him back to England, but one that has certainly paid off in the long term. He has played 390 games for the Cityzens, scoring 103 times and registering 171 assists.
The Belgian’s talent has contributed to plenty of silverware in a City shirt. Amongst many of his honours, the enterprising midfielder has six Premier League titles, one FIFA Club World Cup and a Champions League. He was a key part of City’s famous treble in 2022/23.
Sadly, it feels like the City number 17 is coming to the end of his time in England. He was linked with a move away last summer, although that did not materialise. Injuries have hampered his last two seasons, and he has made just seven appearances this term
With that in mind, the Cityzens may well look for his replacement and could turn to the Bundesliga once again.
Man City’s dream De Bruyne replacement
The man who City could look to replace De Bruyne with is Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz. According to a report from TEAMTalk earlier this week, the talented German is the Premier League champions’ ‘main target for the next summer transfer window’.
He would cost a steep fee, with the report suggesting Leverkusen would not even consider bids of less than £90m. They would have to go up against Liverpool, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich to sign him over the summer.
The youngster has an astounding record for the Bundesliga champions. He has played 168 games, scoring 48 goals and grabbing 51 assists. He already has four goals and one assist in nine German top-flight matches this season.
Although the Belgian’s sample size is smaller from last term, both De Bruyne and Wirtz have similar FBref stats when it comes to creative numbers.
The young German midfielder played 8.48 progressive passes each game and played 3.11 passes into the penalty area. Comparatively, the City legend completed 8.18 progressive passes and averaged 4.12 penalty area passes in 2023/24.
Wirtz vs. De Bruyne creative stats from 2023/24 compared | ||
|---|---|---|
Stat (per 90) | Wirtz | De Bruyne |
Key passes | 2.77 | 4.34 |
Expected assists | 0.37 | 0.52 |
Progressive passes | 8.48 | 8.18 |
Passes into final third | 3.6 | 4.93 |
Passes into penalty box | 3.11 | 4.12 |
Stats from FBref | ||
It is worth remembering that the “little genius”, as football talent scout Jacek Kulig described Wirtz, would be playing in a hyper-aggressive and dominant team should he move to City. Thus, it would not be a surprise if his creative numbers increased even more.
It is a move that may also have Phil Foden looking over his shoulder. The attacker was described as “City’s successor to De Bruyne” by journalist Richard Jolley. However, if Wirtz joined the club too, it could have an impact on the player many see as De Bruyne’s natural heir.
It would be an expensive deal for City to do and would come close to breaking the transfer record, which is currently the £100m spent on Jack Grealish.
However, if they do replace De Bruyne with Wirtz next summer, it would be a huge statement to the rest of Europe. Foden, beware.
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