Manchester City are the defending champions of England but if Pep Guardiola wants to build a legacy at the club, he must plan for the future. It seems like he is already doing that because according to a recent report by German outlet Sports Bild, Manchester City are keeping tabs on Ilay Elmkies.
Elmkies is an 18-year-old Israeli central midfielder who plays for German club Hoffenheim. He is 1.71 meters tall, a good passer of the ball and a strong player who doesn’t shy away from the physical side of the game. The report also claims that Elmkies caught Guardiola’s attention after a series of impressive performances for Hoffenheim’s U19 side.
In fact, Elmkies played in the UEFA Youth League against Manchester City and scored a goal for the Germans in a 5-2 win.
Manchester City’s midfield is probably the best midfield in the country. Fernandinho is one of the club’s key players in the middle of the park but at the age of 33, he isn’t getting any younger. As a result, Guardiola needs to find a replacement for the Brazilian.
The failure to bring in Jorginho in the summer should propel City towards aiming to sign a new central midfielder ahead of the new term.
Manchester City are currently sitting on the top of the Premier League table but only on goal difference. The title race in the ongoing campaign will surely be tougher than usual with the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool being in red-hot form.
Kevin De Bruyne is yet to return from a long-term injury and a recent hamstring injury to Ilkay Gundagon has drastically reduced Guardiola’s options in the centre of the park. This is a highly undesirable situation for a club with high ambitions.
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City faced a similar situation last December when, barring Nicolas Otamendi, most of their central defenders were injured. Subsequently, City signed Aymeric Laporte from Atheltic Bilbao and they should do a similar thing with Elmkies to get rid of their midfield woes. He might just be 18 but he has an ample amount of time to grow into a great footballer under Guardiola’s guidance.
