Manchester City are currently in turmoil, and it isn’t just defensive frailties that are making life difficult.
Most of the talk this season has been about the defending, and how shaky Manchester City’s backline has been without Rodri in front of it.
Pep Guardiola has admitted City are ‘fragile defensively’, and it will certainly be interesting to see if the Manchester City manager seeks to sign reinforcements in January. Historically, that’s not something City do too often.
But City also have problems at the other end.
Erling Haaland is the only attacking player scoring goals in the league this season, with others not chipping in.
Viktor Gyokeres is a player thought to be on City’s radar, and one report has now shared one thing that would need to happen for the Swede to join.
Gyokeres needs assurances that he wouldn’t be Erling Haaland’s back-up
The Mirror have reported that both Manchester City and Manchester United are keen on Viktor Gyokeres, who is potentially the most in-form player in Europe right now.
Gyokeres has plundered 24 goals for Sporting CP so far and of course, he recently hit a hat-trick against City in the Champions League.
A move to the Etihad feels slightly unlikely, especially with Ruben Amorim having now joined Manchester United.
As per the Mirror, City are looking to add more firepower, but a move for Gyokeres wouldn’t be possible unless he received assurances that he wouldn’t be a back-up to Haaland.
So, this would mean that Guardiola would either have to use Gyokeres in a partnership with Haaland, or the Norwegian would have to be sold.
There is certainly a very slim chance of the latter happening, especially after reports City actually want to hand Haaland a new contract.
Why Pep Guardiola is unlikely to move for Gyokeres
Gyokeres is probably on City’s radar, but it doesn’t feel particularly likely that the club will actually move for him anytime soon.
Purely because Haaland probably isn’t going to leave. Certainly, if he signs a new contract then he definitely won’t be departing.
There’s the theory that Gyokeres could still come and play alongside Haaland.
But Guardiola actually played down a move for Gyokeres recently when City and Sporting met in the Champions League. He preferred to talk up his own number nine in Haaland.
| Erling Haaland this season | Viktor Gyokeres this season |
| Appearances – 17 | Appearances – 19 |
| Goals – 15 | Goals – 24 |
| Assists – 0 | Assists – 4 |
Guardiola has never really been one to use a strike partnership as a manager. At City, he played Sergio Aguero as a lone striker, then used false nines (sometimes two at a time, but never two out-and-out strikers), and then Haaland on his own.
He had Julian Alvarez for a couple of years but never really used the Argentine right up top alongside the Norwegian.
Gyokeres is slightly similar to Haaland stylistically in that he’s physical, so a transfer swoop does feel unlikely.
