Manchester City have now completed the £30.5m signing of Rayan Cherki from Lyon.
Hugo Viana has been trying to wrap up several deals before the 7pm FIFA Club World Cup transfer deadline today (Tuesday 10th June) – ahead of the competition starting on Sunday 14th June.
Manchester City announced the signing of Marcus Bettinelli from Chelsea earlier in the day as a replacement for Scott Carson, and the versatile France international has now followed him to the Etihad Stadium.
Impressively, Rayan Cherki can play in seven different positions, but as Pep Guardiola contemplates where to field his newest recruit at Manchester City, there is one area he thrives in more than most.
Pep Guardiola must put Rayan Cherki on the right of attack to kickstart his Manchester City career
Since emerging from the academy at Lyon in 2019, the Frenchman has displayed immense versatility.
| Position | Games | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attacking Midfield | 65 | 19 | 10 |
| Right Winger | 57 | 11 | 21 |
| Left Winger | 18 | 0 | 5 |
| Centre-Forward | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| Second Striker | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Right Midfield | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Central Midfield | 1 | 0 | 1 |
As you can see, Cherki can play in seven different positions, but the right wing is clearly where he is most impactful.
The man born in Lyon has registered 32 goal involvements in 57 appearances in this position – an average of one every 1.7 games.
Cherki – who Kylian Mbappe admires – also boasts a strong record in a central attacking midfield role, but is slightly less efficient there than he is on the right with a combined total of 29 goal involvements in 65 games.
Who could suffer if Pep Guardiola does put Rayan Cherki on the right?
If Guardiola heeds our advice and deploys the 21-year-old on the right, it could spell trouble for Bernardo Silva and Savinho.
The latter started the FA Cup final in that position last season, whereas the Portugal international also featured often on the right, with both players showing a tendency to cut inside on their stronger left foot.
However, what is great about Cherki is the fact he offers Manchester City tactical flexibility, so he can be used elsewhere if Savinho or Silva are preferred on the right by Guardiola in certain games.
