PERFECT FOR PEP: WHY SERGIO AGUERO BELIEVES RAPHINHA IS THE ULTIMATE CITY WINGER
Raphinha to Man City: Discover why Aguero thinks the Barca winger fits Pep’s system and the update on Julian Alvarez’s future.
Sergio Agüero thinks Raphinha would be a dream signing for Manchester City. The Brazilian winger made a real impact during his time at Leeds United, racking up 17 goals and 12 assists in just two seasons. Honestly, Leeds probably owed their Premier League survival back then to him; right after he left, they dropped to the Championship.
When Raphinha first arrived at Barcelona, things didn’t go smoothly. There were constant rumours about him heading back to England, but he managed to work his way into the starting lineup and became a key player. Since Hansi Flick took charge for the 2023/24 season, Raphinha’s numbers have exploded to 47 goals and 31 assists so far. Flick just knows how to get the best out of his attacking players, and Raphinha’s thriving because of it.
Still, whispers about Raphinha leaving Barcelona haven’t gone away. The club’s financial problems just won’t quit, and they’re reportedly open to selling a big-name player if the price is right. Arsenal and Chelsea have both been linked to him in the past, but they’re after younger players these days. But Agüero says City shouldn’t be counted out.
Talking to Trivela, Aguero was asked which Brazilian player would fit best at City under Pep Guardiola. He didn’t hesitate; Raphinha’s his pick. “Among those already in Europe, I really like Raphinha. He would fit perfectly into City’s style,” Aguero said.
If City did sign Raphinha, he’d probably be their top winger right away. He ticks all the boxes for Guardiola’s system. But let’s be real, the transfer isn’t likely. City has shifted focus to younger talent guys like Savinho, Jeremy Doku, and Rayan Cherki as they look to refresh the squad.
Barcelona, strapped for cash, would consider selling Raphinha, but they’d probably pump that money right back into their attack. There’s talk of Julian Alvarez now at Atletico Madrid being on their radar. With Robert Lewandowski’s contract up and Barcelona needing a new striker, that’s a priority for them this summer. If Alvarez is too pricey, Sport says they might go for City’s Omar Marmoush instead.
So, what about a swap deal of Raphinha for Marmoush or someone else? It sounds unlikely.
Sure, Raphinha is the “perfect fit". But City aren’t about to splash a huge fee on someone about to turn 30.
Aguero also touched on Guardiola’s future at City. Fans are worried he might leave, but Aguero doesn’t think there’s any reason to panic. “Pep still has one more year on his contract,” he said. “There’s no point debating it now; it just creates noise. When the time comes, it’ll be sorted. Nothing to stress about.”
HAALAND WATCH: ERLING HAALAND FACES A LATE FITNESS TEST BEFORE NOTTINGHAM FOREST CLASH
Erling Haaland is "feeling better!" Read Pep Guardiola’s injury update, the Forest lineup news, and the Real Madrid prep here.
Erling Haaland is feeling a lot better now, but he still needs to get checked after Manchester City’s training on Tuesday before they decide if he can face Nottingham Forest. He missed the Leeds game because he picked up a small knock in training last Thursday, and right after that match, Pep Guardiola didn’t have any updates on Haaland’s fitness.
Even though Haaland’s still not a sure thing for the Forest game, City are pretty hopeful he’ll be back after getting the weekend off. The same goes for Nico O’Reilly. He limped off with an ankle issue during the 1-0 win over Leeds, but he managed to join the recovery session on Sunday.
“Erling feels much better, but we didn’t train yesterday. We’ll see how he is in training today and then make a call,” Guardiola said at his Tuesday press conference.
The city handled things well without Haaland up front. Antoine Semenyo got the only goal, playing alongside Omar Marmoush. Guardiola didn’t seem too stressed before kickoff, either. “He had some problems and a little injury two days ago in training. Nothing serious, but he wasn’t ready today,” Pep said at Elland Road.
Other than that, City’s injury list isn’t too worrying as they keep chasing trophies. Jeremy Doku was back in the squad at Leeds for the first time since his injury, and Savinho came on in the second half, his first appearance since New Year’s Day.
Right now, only Mateo Kovačić and Josko Gvardiol are still out, but Guardiola’s positive about Kovačić since he’s started training again.
“It’s March, and we’re still in all the competitions. That’s special,” Guardiola said. “Last season, we were already out of the Champions League and FA Cup at this point. Now, it’s Newcastle in the FA Cup on Saturday, then two games with Real Madrid. Win, and you keep going; lose, and you’re out. That’s all I’m thinking about.”
City are looking to cut the gap to Arsenal on Wednesday night. Both play at the same time. City hosts Forest while Arsenal heads to Brighton, who just beat Forest. There are five points between them, but Arsenal have played an extra game.
After Forest, City have two big away matches: Newcastle in the FA Cup, then Real Madrid in the Champions League last 16. Haaland has already scored at the Bernabeu, but oddly enough, he hasn’t managed a goal against Newcastle in four tries this season.
THE FERGUSON BLUEPRINT: COULD PEP GUARDIOLA MIMIC SIR ALEX’S LEGENDARY 2013 EXIT?
Shay Given suggests Pep Guardiola could mirror Sir Alex Ferguson by leaving Manchester City if they secure the 2026 title.
People are starting to wonder if Pep Guardiola will bow out in style if he wins the Premier League this season, kind of like Sir Alex Ferguson did with Manchester United during his last year.
On Saturday night, Manchester City beat Leeds and pulled itself just two points behind Arsenal. The pressure’s on. Arsenal still lead, and they can stretch that gap to five points again, but they’ve played one more game than City. It’s a tight race.
City are no strangers to chasing down Arsenal; they’ve done it twice before in the last three seasons. Guardiola’s team has the experience, and honestly, that counts for a lot right now.
Arsenal have a great squad, no doubt about it, but not many of their players have actually won the Premier League. That could make a difference as the pressure builds.
Shay Given, who used to play in goal at the top level, thinks Guardiola might walk away from Manchester City if he lifts another trophy. He sees a bit of Ferguson in Pep winning big, then calling it a day. Given talked about it on Premier League Productions: “Arsenal probably have the deeper squad, two or three players for every position. But Pep’s not giving anything away. When someone asked him what Arteta needs to do to win the league, he just said, ‘I’m not going to tell him.’ He wants that trophy for himself.”
It’s pretty simple now: If either team wins all their remaining games, they win the league. Given says he’d back City. He trusts their experience. “They’ve been here before,” he said. “And I’ve got a feeling Pep might leave if they win the league. He’s rebuilt the team; maybe it’s time for someone else to take over, but he’ll want to go out on a high.”
Guardiola and City haven’t stood still. Over the last year and a half, they’ve kept reshaping their squad planning for life after Pep. Marc Guehi, Tijjani Reijnders, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Antoine Semenyo have all come in. Erling Haaland and Ruben Dias are either at their peak or about to hit it. The city looks ready, whatever happens next.
