Man City should offer Aymeric Laporte a new deal at the earliest
According to the Sky Sports, Manchester City are prepared to offer centre-back Aymeric Laporte a fresh contract due to his consistently impressive performances this season.
Laporte made his move from La Liga outfit Athletic Bilbao in January 2018 for a club-record fee of £57 million, signing a deal until 2023. However, his rapid development has prompted the club hierarchy to extend his contract even further.
The 24-year-old made 9 Premier League starts in the second half of the previous season as the Citizens won the title and he has continued from where he had left last term, establishing himself as a regular starter under Pep Guardiola. The Frenchman has made a total of 35 appearances this season, forming a formidable partnership with John Stones at the heart of the defence.
A product of Athletic Bilbao’s youth system, Laporte made his professional debut in 2012 and went on to become a seasoned campaigner for his boyhood club, racking up a staggering 222 appearances across all competitions. He earned rave reviews for his performances in the La Liga and was regarded as one of the best young defenders in the making.
His extraordinary talent caught the eyes of Man City and the Citizens splashed a then club record amount to secure his services, ideally as a long-term successor to the throne of Vincent Kompany. The Belgian has always been a reliable servant to the club but they were on the lookout for a young and talented centre-back to build a squad for the future.
And Laporte hasn’t disappointed the fans at the Etihad. In fact, that would be an understatement given how quickly he has been able to adapt to the physical and dynamic nature of the Premier League. The 24-year-old has not only added to Man City’s squad depth but he has shown that he has got all the makings of establishing himself as a long-term replacement for Kompany.
In all honesty, Pep Guardiola deserves a lot of credit for Laporte’s development into one of the best defenders in the Premier League. The manager has shown a lot of confidence in the Frenchman, handing him starts ahead of more established players like Kompany and Nicolas Otamendi. He hasn’t even hesitated to use him as a makeshift left-back to cover for the absence of Benjamin Mendy and Laporte has proved his versatility by rising to the occasion.
It is a no-brainer for all those who have followed the season closely that Laporte has been one of the standout performers for Man City. Height, physicality and aerial ability are some of the primary attributes that you would expect a centre-back to have. Standing at 6ft. 3 inches with a towering frame, the Frenchman definitely ticks those boxes, but it is his technical ability that makes him a world-class asset.
Laporte’s fine technique, elegance, composure in possession and ability to play out from the back have helped him adapt to Pep Guardiola’s style of play in a short duration of time. The Frenchman averages 85.6 passes per game with an accuracy percentage of 92.2, including 4.8 successful long passes and 2.1 aerial duels per game this term in the Premier League. It is not easy for a defender to register so many touches of the ball but Laporte, with his ability to retain possession very well, has made things look very easy.
The 24-year-old has successfully completed 30 of his attempted 39 tackles in the Premier League this term, with the opposition managing to dribble past him on only 9 occasions, which is once every three games on an average. Known for his high levels of concentration and astute sense of positioning, Laporte has been rarely caught napping at the back.
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To conclude, the Frenchman is yet to enter his prime as a centre-back and he is only going to get better with time. He has shown that he can be a wonderful long-term servant to the club and that said, they should extend his stay at the earliest.
