The rest of the Premier League are eager to see what Manchester City show up on the first weekend of the season.
The 24/25 campaign was a disaster for Pep Guardiola’s men as they went the entire term without a trophy and required the final day of the season to secure Champions League football.
The Manchester club have addressed many of their issues both on and off the pitch, as Guardiola will not want to experience what he went through last season again.
The arrival of James Trafford made it six new faces to come through the door at the Etihad Stadium over the summer, but Joe Cole has admitted that one in particular has him very excited.
Joe Cole working as a pundit during Newcastle United v AFC Bournemouth.
Photo by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
Joe Cole predicts Rayan Cherki to be the Breakout Player of the Season
Having missed out on Florian Wirtz to Liverpool, Man City opted to bring Rayan Cherki to Manchester as part of a £34m deal with Lyon, as Guardiola was keen to fill the gap left by the departure of Kevin De Bruyne at the end of last season.
The French star has loads of potential, and Man City fans have already shown that they are very excited to watch Cherki throughout the 25/26 campaign.
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They are not the only ones. When asked who would be the Premier League’s breakout star ahead of the new season, Cole named Cherki as his pick.
“Cherki. 21, does he still class as a breakout? Breakout in the Premier League? Them clips that Owen showed us. Yeah, they got me salivating. He’s a maverick. I love him,” the former Chelsea star said on TNT Sports’ show The Breakdown.
Cherki is excited to play with Erling Haaland this season, and it is scary to think of the numbers the 21-year-old could produce with the Norwegian superstar finishing off the chances he creates.
The French star produced 13 goals and 21 assists with Lyon throughout the previous campaign, and Cole has admitted that there is another element of his game that he loves.
Rayan Cherki in action for Manchester City v Wydad AC at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Photo by Carl Recine – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Rayan Cherki’s confidence has stood out to Joe Cole
From the interviews Cherki has already done, Man City fans are already aware that the French star is not short of confidence and has full belief in himself that he will help the Manchester club back to the top of the Premier League.
This is a trait Cole has also picked up on, and the TNT Sports pundit has admitted that he likes that element of the 21-year-old’s game.
“You know what I like about him. He is having himself,” the former Chelsea star said on TNT Sports’ The Breakdown. “In a good way. He was talking about Ballon d’Ors and things like that. I like that, though.”
It will be very interesting to see how quickly the 21-year-old can adapt to Man City and the Premier League, but what is guaranteed is that the midfielder will produce moments of magic throughout the upcoming campaign.