Jamie Carragher says Manchester City still need to strengthen in defence.
After finishing so far behind Liverpool last season - due in some part to their issues at the back - City strengthened early on in the summer transfer window by signing Nathan Ake from Bournemouth.
But links to Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly continue and Carragher can see why.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Carragher argued that Ake is more of a covering player for Aymeric Laporte and that more is needed in defence for City to challenge.
He said: “I think Nathan Ake is in as a squad player.
"Laporte being out last season, I think we always talk about how it hurt City defensively, but I think Pep Guardiola maybe had the other mindset that it impacted them playing out from the back.
"He always wants a left-footed player. I think he’s brought Nathan Ake to maybe cover at left-back, but whenever Laporte is out, he’s still got that left-footed player to get that balance.
"I think they need to go again. You look at the lad at Napoli - he’s 29 - probably similar to Liverpool looking at Thiago. They’ve got to come in and deliver straight away.
"It’s not something those teams usually do, they want to invest for the future and get some longevity from the player.
"There is a desperate need to improve at centre-back. He’s bought a lot of centre-backs since he’s been there, a lot of full-backs as well. It’s never quite felt 100% right at times."
