Here are your Manchester City morning headlines for Monday, September 7.
Koulibaly agent in Manchester?
Manchester City had no issues scoring goals last season. Their goals conceded figure in the Premier League rose by 12 compared to 2018/19 though, which greatly hindered their hopes of keeping pace with Liverpool.
Nathan Ake has been signed this summer to help with the club’s defensive issues, and rumour has it that another top centre-back could be on his way to the Etihad Stadium too.
Gazzetta dello Sport, via SportWitness, are reporting that Kalidou Koulibaly’s agent has flown to Manchester in order to negotiate a deal. Fali Ramadami is said to be acting as an intermediary between City and his client’s club, Napoli.
Koulibaly is one of Europe’s top defenders, so City fans will certainly be hoping that this story is true.
Benjani on his derby goal
In the days before their current ownership group took over, City were less accustomed to signing the cream of the continent’s top talent.
In January 2008, the purchase of Benjani Mwaruwari from Portsmouth was a pretty big deal as far as City were concerned. The Zimbabwean international stayed with the club until 2010, before joining Blackburn Rovers.
The 42-year-old has been reminiscing about his debut for the Citizens, in which he scored a winning goal at Old Trafford.
“That single goal in the Manchester derby changed everything for me. I became an instant hero,” he said.
Lack of Messi makes life easier
When Lionel Messi recently announced that he intended to leave Barcelona, City fans started to dream about the possibility of the Argentine reuniting with his former manager, Pep Guardiola.
Messi has since decided to remain in Catalonia for the forthcoming season, so any hopes of seeing him in light blue at the Etihad Stadium have been dashed for the time being.
And perhaps, ultimately, it is for the best. Guardiola famously demands an intensive work rate from his forwards and would the 33-year-old be capable of that in the autumn of his career?
Callum Rice-Coates assesses whether signing Messi would’ve been good for City or not here.
