Manchester City are currently preparing for their opening game of the Premier League season against Wolves.
Pep Guardiola’s side travel to Molineux on Saturday afternoon to kick off the 25/26 campaign, a term they hope will be much more successful than last time around.
Surprisingly, the Manchester club might not be done in the transfer market, after it was previously reported that there would be no more incomings at Man City, as several areas might need to be addressed over the coming weeks, depending on exits.
Nedum Onuoha is not keen to see one player leave the Etihad Stadium and has stated that it “doesn’t really make sense” if Guardiola allows him to go.
Savinho during Manchester City v Al-Hilal.
Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Letting Savinho go would be a mistake
Tottenham have shown a strong interest in Savinho this week after talks were held over a £43m deal, and if the Brazilian departs Manchester, that would prompt Guardiola to move for Rodrygo.
Man City do not plan on selling Savinho, but a deal could happen if a huge offer arrives from Tottenham, with the Manchester side demanding over £50m to sell the 21-year-old.
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Speaking about the Brazilian star, Onuoha has stated that he would not like to see the winger leave, as he believes the youngster has huge potential.
“Personally, no I wouldn’t,” Onuoha said on ESPN FC when asked if he would swap Savinho for Rodrygo. “It’s not because Rodrygo is not a great talent. It’s because I’ve seen Savinho do quite well for City last season, in his first season, which was City’s worst season in over five years.
“I think the fact that he was able to be a shining light to the people who watched him on a week-to-week basis, that’s a positive. I think there’s a player in there who can be moulded into being someone quite significant within the league.
“So to let him go to a Spurs side, who you know will potentially be trying to challenge City further up that table, doesn’t really make sense in my mind.
“He’s only 21 years of age. You know the goals are there, as Jules has said; they weren’t great, but no one’s goals were great last season for City, apart from Haaland. So I totally understand, you know, why you’d want to keep him, and I’d like to see him stay.”
“As I say, 21 years of age, and he’s going to be wanting to put his foot down and to make a difference this year for City.”
Man City’s plan for right-back this season
One of the main issues Man City have not addressed this summer is right-back, as Hugo Viana struggled to get the targets he wanted, with Newcastle’s Tino Livramento being his number one choice.
However, the Tyneside club would not sell the Englishman this summer, which has now left City entering the 25/26 campaign without a strong option for that area of the pitch.
According to Guillem Balague, the Manchester club did not sign a right-back as they could not sign a specialist for the role, and instead, Manuel Akanji, Matheus Nunes, and John Stones will share the responsibility over the coming months.
This will certainly have Man City fans worried as it is bound to be a weakness teams will look to exploit throughout the upcoming season.
It remains to be seen if Guardiola addresses the role in January, which will depend on how the opening phase of the campaign goes.