The loss of club captain Vincent Kompany last summer has been pivotal to Manchester City being 18 points behind Liverpool.
A move for England defender Harry Maguire failed to materialise last summer. This left Pep Guardiola with just three senior centre backs at the club.
The two injuries to Aymeric Laporte have not made things any easier for City. Which then left Pep having to play Fernandinho as a make-shift defender alongside either John Stones or Nicolás Otamendi.
If you compare the goals conceded from Manchester City’s two title wins under Pep and this season, the loss of Kompany has been echoed.
17/18 season – two losses – 27 goals conceded – 18 clean sheets
18/19 season – four losses – 23 goals conceded – 20 clean sheets
19/20 season – nine losses – 35 goals conceded – 15 clean sheets (two games still to play)
With that in mind, I have drawn up five players who I feel Manchester City should target to improve their defence.
Kalidou Koulibaly
The Napoli centre half has been one of the most consistent defenders in Europe for the last couple of seasons now. The Senegalese international has attracted interest from clubs around Europe already, including Man City.
This season has not been his greatest having missed eight games in the league through injury. A change of management and a fall out between the players and the club president hasn’t helped either.
Milan Škriniar
The Slovakian has been one of Series A’s best centre half’s since making the step up from Sampdoria to Inter in 2017. His game has gone up another level since the arrival of manager Antonio Conte last summer.
The stat that stands out the most for Škriniar is he has not missed a league game through injury since he moved to the San Siro. With the injury history of Laporte, Škriniar could be the ideal signing.
Diego Carlos
The Brazilian defender has burst onto the scenes since his summer move to Sevilla from FC Nantes last summer. The centre back has started 34 out of 35 games when available whilst also scoring two goals.
He has played a crucial role at the back helping his side concede less goals than Barcelona so far this season. That great defensive record has seen Sevilla all but guarantee a place in next seasons Champions League.
Dayot Upamecano
The 21-year old has possibly been the best young centre back in Europe this season. The RB Leipzig player had been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal in the January window.
His excellent performances saw RB Leipzig finish third in the Bundesliga. He will play in a Champions League quarter-final, the first in the club’s history.
Presnel Kimpembe
The 24-year old French international won his fifth Ligue 1 title this season after the league ended prematurely due to COVID-19. He has made 24 appearances in all competitions this season and will play in the Champions League when it resumes next month.
Kimpembe was also part of the France squad that won the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He looks to have a successful career both domestically and internationally.
