Manchester City will be a very busy club this summer, with Hugo Viana officially starting as the club’s new sporting director.
Manchester City have had a poor season, and it’s clear that the squad needs a shake-up.
The rebuilding process commenced in January, with a handful of new players coming in.
But more will join the club this summer, and several will be on their way out. It was recently suggested that at least seven senior players could leave Manchester City.
Fans are expecting a big response this summer after seeing a huge drop-off, and Hugo Viana is the man tasked with getting the club back on track.
It’s very likely that we will be seeing a lot of speculation about City moving for players from Sporting CP, the club Viana is joining from.
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And there is apparently one player from the Portuguese outfit that Viana especially likes, as transfer expert Graeme Bailey gives us the lowdown.
Manchester City could make Francisco Trincao move with Hugo Viana a big fan
Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images
Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images
It has been clear this season that there just hasn’t been enough creativity at times.
The likes of Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva have all had poor seasons, and Kevin De Bruyne is clearly no longer the force he once was.
Jeremy Doku and Savinho have both been bright at times, but lack consistency in the final third.
Omar Marmoush looks like a player who will make things happen though, and seemingly, City now have interest in Trincao.
Transfer expert Graeme Bailey tells us he’s a player Viana especially likes, and that the club have also looked at several other stars from the Portuguese giants.
He said: “There are a number of Sporting players that City were looking at even before Viana agreed to take charge.
“I am told the one who Viana personally really likes is Trincao – the former Wolves and Barcelona man, who has shone for Sporting in recent years.
“Trincao is expected to move on this summer and Ruben Amorim would love him at Manchester United, but he has a lot of interest.
“The problem with Sporting players at this moment is that many come with a hefty price tag.
“One other player City have done work on is Ousmane Diomande – the Ivorian central defender. The 21-year-old is appreciated across Europe. City have signed Khusanov and Reis – but with Stones set to leave, I would not totally discount City from him.”
Interestingly, it’s been claimed Sporting want to hand Trincao a new contract. But with Viana moving to City, perhaps that won’t end up happening.
What is Francisco Trincao style of play?
Trincao has had a productive spell at Sporting since joining them in the summer of 2022, after an unsuccessful loan spell with Wolves.
The star struggled with the physicality of the English game, but in Portugal, he has thrived.
This term, he’s scored nine goals and provided 15 assists in 43 appearances, taking his total tallies to 32 goals and 29 assists in 143 appearances.
Trincao has operated mainly as a right winger this term, and a staple of his game is to cut inside on his strong left foot. But Trincao has also played centrally and, more rarely, on the left.
According to Breaking The Lines, Trincao is a player who has ‘a combination of speed, trickery’.
Earlier in his career, Total Football Analysis even drew a comparison to Lionel Messi, saying: “Still, his dribbling skills, the 1v1 danger he possesses when isolated with the defenders and his creativity and ingenuity in tight spaces do make him fairly similar to Barcelona’s superstar.”
A feature from The Athletic also likened his style to that of City great Riyad Mahrez at the time of his move to Wolves.