Kyle Walker has a real fight on his hands next season.
If the Manchester City full back had a jolt last season, when he was dropped for the biggest game of the season – the clash with Liverpool at the Etihad – he can expect nothing less than a kick in the pants.
The Blues are set to announce Joao Cancelo’s arrival today, as long as Danilo’s move in the other direction, to Juventus, is ready for a simultaneous announcement.
The departure of Danilo means that the steady, gentle pressure which the Brazil international has applied for the last two seasons will become an urgent shove from Cancelo.
And with Pep Guardiola feeling the need to give Walker some vigorous pointers in pre-season, the defender knows he cannot let standards slip.
Danilo decided to leave in the end, seeing his way to the first team barred by England star Walker.
And that allowed the Blues to set up a deal which saw the younger, more vibrant Cancelo head the other way.
The fact that City have paid a cash package – reported to be around £27million – as well as releasing Danilo, is an indicator of how much they rate the new boy.
The fact that Cancelo is more adaptable than Danilo is one key factor.
When Danilo arrived from Real Madrid two years ago, one selling point was that he could play in both full back positions and as a holding midfielder.
But his displays at left back were underwhelming and Guardiola never saw fit to risk him in midfield – even though he made a good job of playing as part of a back three.
Cancelo is more comfortable with switching flanks. He has played on the left for his country, and has a history of playing on the wing as well as being a raiding right back.
Danilo performed well enough at right back – in fact he had a good season as City won the domestic treble last season, and was preferred to Walker in that Liverpool showdown.
But a simple comparison of statistics shows why Guardiola wanted Cancelo as competition for Walker.
Danilo has actually scored more goals than Cancelo in the last two seasons – four to two – but the situation is reverses in terms of assists, with Cancelo chalking up eight to Danilo’s four.
But it is the new man’s crossing rate – 270 to 68, which makes the big difference.
Cancelo always looks to get on the front foot, even more so than Walker, and as a former right winger, he is happy to take on the full back.
And with defensive stats which also out-perform Danilo, the move, when it became achievable, was a no-brainer.
