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AIPROPX ReportYahoo Sports · 1h ago
Manchester City may already have an elite solution to the right wing situation
Manchester City may already have an elite solution to the right wing situation
So far this summer, it would seem that Manchester City have been frustrated in their bid to sign another winger. The market for elite, quality wingers seems to be incredibly small. Hypothetically, if City cannot sign the winger they want this summer, they would have to look internally for a solution to this particular issue. Luckily, they have two elite possibilities to play on the right: Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden. Perhaps either player, or both, can be the player to provide competition and cover for Antoine Semenyo on the right wing for Enzo Maresca. Also, if they can, it could shift Semenyo to the left wing to provide competition for Jeremy Doku.
Manchester City have two elite contenders to play on the right wing which could give Enzo Maresca a different look to unleash.
The expectation is that Manchester City will sign another winger this summer. It is no secret that they are in the market for one. The assumption is that Savinho will depart City this summer. So, for the sake of this analysis, he isn’t included in this look at Manchester City’s current wing options. However, on closer inspection, Enzo Maresca currently has four quality options to utilize on either wing, assuming that City do not sign another winger this summer.
Jeremy Doku looks to be Manchester City’s first-choice left winger. He made that position his own last season. On the right wing, Antoine Semenyo is seemingly the first-choice for Enzo Maresca in this position. However, Semenyo does play equally as well on the left, so in theory, he could compete with Doku for the left wing role if required. If that did prove to be the case, the right wing in Enzo Maresca’s squad could be up for grabs. This is where Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki could become vital for Manchester City.
Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden have played on the right wing. Each player could be considered elite in this position. They play the role in an entirely different manner to Antoine Semenyo. They can both drift inside and open up space for an overlapping right-back. Also, both players are elite in terms of creating chances from out wide on the right, or in Foden’s case, scoring goals.
Phil Foden was the Player of the Season during the 2023-24 season, drifting centrally from the right. His goals and overall play were key to Pep Guardiola’s side winning a fourth Premier League title in a row that season. Cherki is an elite creator from the right. His creativity and ability to produce the spectacular make him a game-breaker that not many other teams possess. If Manchester City cannot sign another winger, both players could help fill that particular role extremely well for Enzo Maresca.
However, Maresca may want Foden and Cherki to play centrally to inflict maximum damage.
If Manchester City entered next season with Jeremy Doku, Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki, and Phil Foden as the four options for the wing roles, City would be in a strong position. However, Jeremy Doku’s injury history does mean that City would want another winger in their squad. That is assuming that Savinho departs as expected.
The other part of the equation is that Enzo Maresca could want Foden and Cherki to play centrally. This way, he could get maximum damage out of the attributes that each player possesses. Foden showed in flashes last season that he can be a damaging weapon in a central role. Rayan Cherki is the ultimate lock picker centrally and his ability to drift all over the pitch with his creativity and eye for a pass makes him an even more dangerous attacking option playing as a number ten.
If that is how Maresca views the pair, playing either player on the right consistently could be off the table. Whether this scenario plays out remains to be seen although where Foden plays in Manchester City’s upcoming tour of Asia may provide a clue as to how Maresca will utilize him next season.
Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden have proven themselves to be elite operators playing from the right. Ideally, Manchester City would sign another winger this summer. That way, they’d have a stack of quality options for Enzo Maresca to use next season. However, if they cannot find what they’re looking for in the transfer market, perhaps Cherki and Foden can provide the attacking threat on the right wing that City are looking for.
Manchester CityHypotheticallyCityLuckilyRayan CherkiPhil FodenPerhapsAntoine SemenyoEnzo MarescaSemenyoJeremy DokuSavinho
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