Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes the club “should have tried” to sign Dean Huijsen, according to reports in Spain.
The Cityzens were not among the frontrunners for the 20-year-old’s signature, with Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Real Madrid said to be the main contenders.
Huijsen eventually chose Real, which is the team that he grew up supporting, butDefensa Central claims Guardiola was left fuming that his club didn’t “push” harder for the centre-back.
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The Spanish international had a £50m release clause in his contract and would have been an attainable target, but no firm offer was made for the player.
Why didn’t Man City pursue Huijsen?
Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis were signed for a combined £64m during the January transfer window, and the club already had five other centre-halves on the club’s books, including Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, John Stones, Josko Gvardiol and Manuel Akanji.
For that reason, it is understandable why Huijsen was not deemed a priority, even though he is arguably one of the most promising young defenders in Europe.
City’s defensive problems
Of course, things are always clearer in hindsight but the fact that Guardiola’s team conceded six goals in their last two games at the Club World Cup shows that things are still not right at the back.
The blame does not rest squarely with the defence, though. It is a systemic issue which still hasn’t been completely addressed, despite a whole host of new signings and an overhaul of the backroom staff.
Rodri’s injury against Al-Hilal does raise additional concerns. There is hope that the Spaniard will be fit for the start of the new Premier League season, but it will take time for him to return to his best. It means both the defence and midfield are not in the sort of shape that Guardiola would like heading into next campaign.
In other news, Man City are poised to sign a midfielder from Chelsea