According to Daily Star, Manchester City will keep a keen eye on Lyon midfielder Lucas Tousart, when the French giants visit the Etihad for their Champions League opener on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old Frenchman started his career in the Ligue 2 with Valenciennes in 2015, before moving to Lyon in the same year. He rose to prominence in the 2016/17 season due to his promising displays in the centre of the park and has made a total of 85 appearances for the club across all competitions, finding the net twice.
City have one of the strongest squads in Europe with plentiful resources in all areas of the park. While City’s fellow title contenders, Liverpool and Chelsea, spent big in the summer, Guardiola seemed content with the depth in his squad and only signed Riyad Mahrez from Leicester City.
Although Manchester City have a plethora of attacking midfielders in their squad, they do not have too many quality options for the central midfield area. Fernandinho has been the backbone of City’s line-up for quite some time but since he is already 33, Guardiola should look for a successor. Ilkay Gundogan is the only other quality central midfielder in their ranks and they should look for added cover and competition.
Lucas Tousart is among the finest young talents in the Ligue 1. His style of play might lack spark and aesthetic appeal but few can deny his effectiveness as a central defensive midfielder. The 21-year-old neither has a good scoring record nor is he a prolific assist-provider. However, he is widely recognized for his defensive exploits in the midfield.
A player blessed by good technique, Tousart has the ability to dictate the tempo of the midfield with his impressive range of passing. Not only does he keep the ball moving in the midfield but can also play as a shield for the rearguard. However, the most impressive thing about him is his ability to win the ball in the central areas of the midfield.
While being comfortable with the ball at his feet, Tousart’s ability to read the game is brilliant and he also excels with his tackles and interceptions in the midfield. It is unusual to see a young player exhibit such a high level of composure while working defensively in the midfield, making Tousart an exciting proposition for a team like Manchester City.
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A natural ball-winning box-to-box midfielder by trade, Tousart also has commendable aerial abilities which should make him a perfect fit for the Premier League. In the five appearances he has made for Lyon this season, Tousart averaged 4.2 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game.
If Manchester City are lacking, it is the presence of a natural box-to-box midfielder. But they could rectify that by signing Tousart. Fernandinho is likely to be at the Etihad for the current season but the Brazilian will call it a day sooner or later. Irrespective of what the future holds, Guardiola should add depth to his squad by signing Lucas Tousart in January.
