Tottenham Hotspur have accepted a bid from Manchester City in excess of £50 million for their stellar right full-back. The Englishman is now the most expensive English footballer of all time, and overtakes Chelsea’s David Luiz as the most expensive defender in history.
Pep Guardiola and Manchester City are desperately trying to improve their full-back situation. At the end of this last season, the Citizens released five players who have worn the light blue shirts for many years. Three of the released players were full-backs: Gael Clichy, Bacary Sagna, and Pablo Zabaleta.
Yesterday, City did something about that. The Manchester giants bought Tottenham Hotspur right-back Kyle Walker for a reported £53 million. The move comes as no surprise, as the two clubs have been negotiating a fee for the Englishman since the beginning of summer.
Pep is also trying to sign AS Monaco left-back Benjamin Mendy, proving that acquiring effective full-backs is the clubs number one priority this summer. City qualified for the Champions League with a top-four finish this year, but were looking like domestic title threats at the start of the season.
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Offensive attack and pressure are not the issues for Pep and his new club. The extremely shaky goalkeeper situation and vulnerable defense are to blame for City’s fall from potential glory. Kyle Walker will help solve those problems.
The Englishman is 27 and has plenty of experience in the Premier League at the highest level. The Professional Football Association named Walker in its team of the year, declaring the Spurs defender the best in the business at his position.
Walker replaces Raheem Sterling as the most expensive Englishman of all time, after the club brought over the winger from Anfield for £49 million back in 2015. Similar to cross-town rivals Manchester United, City are hoping the last few years of big spending will translate into results on the pitch.
Kyle Walker will enhance City’s already deadly attacking threat. Compared to the performance of City’s full-backs last season, Walker dominated them in assists, crosses, corners, dribbles, and chances created on offense. On defense, he also tops them in duels won and tackles.
In a league desperate for elite defenders, this historical and record-breaking move comes as no surprise. Manchester City have the resources to stack up on world-class talent this summer, and they’re not done yet.