David Alaba
Current Club: Bayern Munich
Rumoured transfer: Manchester City
Rumour Source: Bild Zeitung (In German)
Competition At The Club: Aymeric Laporte, John Stones, Angeliño, Benjamin Mendy, Nicolas Otamendi
Are there other options?: Koulibaly is another option being touted in the press, who generally plays at centre-back and is probably a little less versatile than the Austrian.
Do They Need Him?: Although Manchester City have one of the best squads in England and perhaps even the world, they were still 21 points behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race. One of the many complaints from City fans this season has been the weakness of their defence, and how it could definitely strengthen. City are far and away the best scorers of goals in the Premier League so far, having the highest scoring “front three” and having scored 15 more goals than the champions.
So, the problems then are probably in the defensive areas. Manchester City looked a different side once Aymeric Laporte was forced to sit on the sidelines, whilst David Alaba is a cool customer who can play all along the back four, as well as just in front of them. I think he would make the perfect addition to Manchester City’s defence and give it a harder core. Not only would Alaba be able to improve upon Benjamin Mendy’s contribution, who has also come in for some stick, he could add depth to the centre back position too, where he has also played often for Bayern Munich.
Overall, I think David Alaba should be the first name on Pep Guardiola’s target list when he recieves his £150 million war chest. Not only will it strengthen his side, Alaba is almost like a third captain in the Bayern side so, should they be willing to part with him, it could also weaken a Champions League rival.
Millsy’s Transfer Rating: 8/10 – Needed
Likelihood Rating: I would say this has a 70% chance of happening. The press have been all over this rumour these past weeks and, now that Manchester City are back playing Champions League football next season, they will want to flex some of their considerable muscle in the transfer market. They could still end up with 3 trophies this season, but the 21-point gap in the Premier League will still hurt Pep and push him to make sure Liverpool don’t repeat the feat next season.
What You Said
As you can see, Manchester City fans are generally positive about the move and, should they get their man, he will surely be greeted with open arms.
This article was written by Nicholas Mills of Millsy’s View. Find more of his writing on his blog page, on his Twitter or follow his Facebook page.
