Manchester City will be one very busy football club this summer, and a lot of money is going to be spent.
This season has exposed the fact that the squad needs rebuilding, and new director of football Hugo Viana will certainly have plenty of work to do.
Manchester City have been way off it in 2024/25, and at times, defensively, it has been alarming to watch.
The main issue has been in midfield, though, with a lack of legs allowing teams to carve City open at will.
That said, it’s hard to imagine City not going after a new defender or two this summer, with the likes of John Stones and Nathan Ake both 30 and injury-prone.
Ake less so than Stones, but the Dutchman is one of those players City may now be thinking about a long-term replacement for.
There could be a desire to spend big on one this summer. But Pep Guardiola might just have a player ready to come in.
Callum Doyle could get Man City chance next season after impressing at Norwich
Ahead of the current season, Callum Doyle was loaned to Norwich City – the third loan spell of his career so far.
And it has been a productive stint at Carrow Road for the 21-year-old, who’s made 39 appearances across all competitions.
Doyle recently picked up an injury which has cause him to miss the last four Championship games. But he’s back in training now and will hope to have some decent involvement in the coming weeks.
Across those 39 appearances, Doyle has made an impressive seven assists, having sometimes played at left-back.
The consensus has been that Doyle has really impressed.
For some context, he is the fourth-highest rated Norwich player this season on WhoScored.
Earlier this season, his Norwich teammate Kenny McLean raved about him saying in a video for the City YouTube channel: “I think anyone who’s watched Callum will agree that when he’s on the ball and pressing, and when he steps into midfield, and plays a forward pass, honestly he’s incredible at it and we’re very fortunate that we’ve got someone who can do that for us in that position.”
McLean also branded Doyle ‘quality’, admitting he had a great relationship on the field with him.
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Doyle could be Nathan Ake successor
Doyle will return to City this summer, and discussions will take place as to what is next for the youngster.
There is a strong chance that Doyle will join the first-team for pre-season, where he’d get the chance to impress Guardiola.
And quite possibly, there could be an opening for him in 2025/26.
Josko Gvardiol has been one of City’s best players this season. But Ake is the other option to play on that left side, and is not as adventurous.
He’s also struggling with injuries a bit in recent times, and has been limited to just 18 appearances across all competitions this season.
As he is now 30, City do now need to start thinking about long-term successors.
With Doyle having made almost 100 appearances in the Championship, he might just be in contention. And if he does get a show of faith, like James McAtee and Nico O’Reilly did ahead of the current season, then he could save the club millions in the transfer market.
