There is perhaps no coincidence that Manchester City’s season began to go downhill after Rodri suffered a long-term injury back in September.
The club had won four of their first five Premier League games of the season but then won only four of their next 13 while missing the Spaniard.
rodri-man-city
He returned to training at the start of the month, which means a first-team comeback might not be too far away.
What Man City have missed with Rodri out injured
The midfielder enjoyed arguably the finest individual campaign of his career last season. Across 50 games for City, he scored nine goals and registered 14 assists in all competitions.
When compared to his positional peers in the top flight throughout 2023/24, Rodri ranked in the top 1% for passes attempted (112.26), progressive passes (11.55) and carries (77.16) per 90.
rodri-spurs
These statistics certainly prove that Rodri is highly influential for the Etihad side, dictating games with a superb passing range while creating chances for his teammates on a regular basis.
Helping Spain win the 2024 European Championship boosted his profile and the 28-year-old won the Ballon d'Or in October 2024.
It was hardly a surprise, therefore, that his injury has hit City hard, but did Pep Guardiola sell an ideal replacement a few years ago for peanuts?
Man City sold an "elite" Rodri replacement
A number of high-profile midfielders have come and gone from City, notably Cole Palmer and Douglas Luiz, however, want to talk about another academy star here.
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A certain Romeo Lavia is the player in question. He made only two first-team appearances for City before being sold to Southampton for a fee of just £10.5m in the summer of 2022.
The club inserted a buyback clause into the contract and, following an excellent first season with the Saints, where he made 34 appearances for the club, clubs soon began showing interest.
Romeo-Lavia-Chelsea
Indeed, in 2023, Chelsea spent £58m to bring the midfielder to London, giving the Saints a major profit. He might not have played as often as he would have liked due to injury problems, but at his best, Lavia would have made for an ideal Rodri replacement.
Due to a hamstring injury, Lavia has featured for Chelsea just 13 times this season. In the Premier League, the Belgian youngster succeeded with 92% of his passes, made 1.5 tackles per game and won 53% of his ground duels.
The midfielder ranks in the top 5% for pass completion percentage (91.8%) when compared to his peers in the Premier League this season, indicating that he has similar sorts of qualities to Rodri.
Lavia's statistics for Southampton (per 90 in 2022/23)
Accurate passes
Key passes
Tackles
Interceptions
Possession lost
Total duels won
Via Sofascore
Hailed as “an elite number 6” by scout Jacek Kulig earlier this season, his value has risen since departing City for £10.5m nearly three years ago.
Indeed, according to Transfermarkt, Lavia is valued at £33.5m, which proves that the Manchester side sold him far too hastily.
His current valuation has risen by 219% since departing the Etihad and given the fact he is now finally beginning to show his best form at the Blues, it could be a move that Guardiola regrets sooner rather than later.
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Man City need support for Nico Gonzalez and Rodri.