Wednesday 6 April 2016 19:27, UK
We take a look at how Pep Guardiola might look to change Manchester City’s line-up next season.
As speculation builds about the impending changes at Manchester City, the club has been reportedly linked with players all over the pitch - goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards.
With Yaya Toure also seemingly set to end his illustrious spell at the club, it could well be a summer of change at the Etihad Stadium.
So who is under threat and which new players could realistically be lining up for Guardiola in the 2016/17 season? We discuss the possibilities…
Goalkeeper
Joe Hart ranks among the most respected goalkeepers in the Premier League and will get the opportunity to enhance his reputation further with England at Euro 2016. And yet, the possible availability of Marc-Andre ter Stegen has seen the Barcelona goalkeeper linked with a switch to City.
It would be no surprise for the club to be in the market for a goalkeeper given the ages of Hart's deputies - Willy Caballero is 34 and Richard Wright is 38 - and Ter Stegen has shown at Barca that he can compromise, having been in a job share with Claudio Bravo.
Ter Stegen is the club's Champions League goalkeeper, with Bravo taking over from the German in La Liga games, and as a Champions League winner would represent stiff competition. The perception that his distribution is superior to that of Hart means that a change in goal cannot be ruled out.
Defence
All four of City's chief full-back options are the wrong side of 30 and that means a shake-up in that department will be inevitable sooner rather than later regardless of the identity of the new manager. Guardiola may seek to make it a matter of priority.
Bacary Sagna has enjoyed a strong season in edging ahead of the popular Pablo Zabaleta, although that could be reviewed under the new boss. Meanwhile, Gael Clichy will be hoping that his home-grown status makes him more likely to be retained than the marauding Aleksandar Kolarov.
In the centre of defence, getting Vincent Kompany fit will be a priority, of course. The Belgian has been searching for a stable partner at the back for some time now, with Martin Demichelis set to move on and Nicolas Otamendi yet to convince everyone of his reliability in the role.
With another big-money arrival at the Etihad, Eliaquim Mangala, appearing to lack the ball skills that Guardiola favours, could Athletic Bilbao's Aymeric Laporte tempt the Spaniard? The youngster is set to miss the start of next season through injury but has been linked with a move nevertheless.
Midfield
Control of the ball - and with it the game - is a feature of Guardiola's sides and that means rejigging the midfield will be essential if he is to fully implement his ideas. At Barca, he had Xavi Hernandez and Sergio Busquets, while Philipp Lahm was switched there for Bayern Munich.
Fernando wouldn't necessarily fall into that category in terms of his calibre in possession, while Yaya Toure's agent has already indicated that the Ivorian's time at the Etihad is drawing to a close. That could see Guardiola reshape things in order to play the 'Pep way'.
Thiago is a player with whom he worked at Barcelona and subsequently signed for Bayern, so he could come into Guardiola's thinking. Meanwhile, Ilkay Gundogan is well known to the Catalan and Zenit St Petersburg's deep-lying playmaker Axel Witsel has also emerged as a potential target.
Forwards
Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne are expensive recent acquisitions and young enough to adapt to a new style of play. David Silva is more experienced but would appear well suited to the possession-based approach that Guardiola can be expected to institute at City.
In the central striking position, Sergio Aguero ranks among the best in the world and could yet get even better. However, Guardiola is not averse to using more physical forwards - though any addition is likely to be a back-up, unless he can persuade Robert Lewandowski to join him in Manchester.
Who do you think Pep Guardiola and Manchester City should be looking to add in the summer? Let us know in the comments section or via Twitter @SkyFootball
