When both Joško Gvardiol and Rúben Dias were forced off due to injuries in Manchester City’s Premier League clash against Chelsea at the beginning of January, it put the club in a tricky situation.
With Dias out multiple weeks, Gvardiol potentially for the rest of the season, and with John Stones already on the injury list, Pep Guardiola was left with Nathan Aké and Abdukodir Khusanov as his centre-back options.
It didn’t take long until The Citizens got linked to Marc Guéhi, Crystal Palace’s much-talked-about central defender, who also has drawn interest from Liverpool and Arsenal.
However, a deal seems difficult to finalise this transfer window as Guéhi’s contract expires in the summer, which puts him in an advantageous situation both professionally and financially: a situation he likely wants to explore.
This data analysis article, in the form of a recruitment analysis, aims to identify alternatives to Marc Guéhi for Manchester City amid their hunt for centre-back reinforcements.
With the help of various key performance metrics for the position, we’ll have a look at 10 of the most interesting potential targets who could give the team much-needed quality and depth.
Without inside information on how much Manchester City are willing to invest in this transfer and the selling club’s valuation of their own player, it’s difficult to know whether the deal is viable at the moment.
However, it goes without saying that the 10-time English champions are, in general, one of the most financially strong clubs in the world, and if they really want a player, they usually find a way.
Nico Schlotterbeck Pizza Chart At Borussia Dortmund 2025/2026
One of the stand-out centre-backs in Europe this season has undoubtedly been Nico Schlotterbeck.
The 26-year-old German has been one of Borussia Dortmund’s best players and is a pillar both in and out of possession.
By being in the 85th+ percentile in both progressive carries and progressive passes for Bundesliga centre-backs this season, it’s hard to find a better ball-playing profile in that position anywhere.
Defensive stats will always be more difficult to conclude from, not least for centre-backs, but what we can say is that he’s an active defender who likes to engage in duels.
His high number of tackles won is an indicator of that.
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