Why Lucas Digne would be a fantastic signing for Manchester City

According to Daily Mail (h/t Liverpool Echo), Manchester City and Pep Guardiola want to sign Lucas Digne. It is said that the club are not convinced with Benjamin Mendy as a long-term option at the club. There is also the mention of Nicolas Tagliafico as another option.

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Progressing through the youth ranks at LOSC Lille, Digne broke into the first-team and made a huge impression. As a result, he was snapped up by Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2013. His time at the club wasn’t a huge success though, as he found it difficult to establish himself as a first-team regular.

In two years at the club, Digne made 44 appearances, assisting five goals. Having failed to make an impact, Digne was loaned out to AS Roma in 2015. Having produced a return of 3 goals and 3 assists in 42 matches, Digne prompted Barcelona to sign him up in 2016. However, the 26-year-old couldn’t displace Jordi Alba as the first-choice left-back at the club.

Having made only 46 appearances in two years, Digne signed for Everton in the summer of 2018. Since then, he has made himself a vital part of the side providing 17 assists in 87 games. A regular of the French team, Digne has 34 caps to date.

Digne can be an upgrade on Mendy

It would be hard to find much of a flaw in Manchester City’s side but there is one position that sticks out like a sore thumb. The left-back position.

Benjamin Mendy was an inspired buy after his heroics for Monaco but injuries have often barred him from playing chunks of a season. This has kept happening for a while now. Oleksandr Zinchenko can chip in with an occasional performance there but is clearly not suited to a defensive role.

Mendy, even when fit, comes with his own set of problems. Ultra attacking in nature, his style of play leaves huge spaces at the back, leaving the center-backs exposed. This has often caused City problems as they like to play a high line. They have often had to use Joao Cancelo in that position and even that has its effects on the attack as he has to switch to his stronger right foot to produce the goods.

Since joining the Toffees, Digne has developed into one of the best full-backs in the Premier League. In his debut campaign with the Merseysiders, the 26-year-old missed just three league outings, finishing with an impressive return of four goals and assists each.

The 27-year-old enjoyed a productive 2019/20 campaign as well, racking up one goal and eight assists. Digne has carried on from where he left off last season, as Everton have punched above their weight this time out. The fact that he has captained the team for a number of games last term highlights his importance and status at the club.

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Lucas Digne can be the perfect fit for Guardiola’s system. He likes to maraud down the flanks, provides width and also does his defensive duties with confidence. Prising him away from Everton would be the real challenge but this is one transfer that could go a long way in improving their defence.