Many of the Manchester City supporters here in the Transfer Tavern believe that the imminent arrival of Pep Guardiola at the Etihad will signal the end of Yaya Toure’s career at the club.
The Spanish coach was in charge at Barcelona when the Ivorian was sold to City back in 2010 and is expected to sell him again when he replaces Manuel Pellegrini in July.
The midfield powerhouse has been instrumental in City’s title winning campaigns, as well as scoring crucial goals in their recent FA Cup and Capital One cup final successes.
And despite often being branded as lazy and defensively inept, the City fans in the Taverns now that the departure of their midfield powerhouse will signal a huge loss in their squad.
Several players have been linked with a switch to the Blues as they look to replace the 32-year old and in this article, we will be looking at some of the potential players who could fill Toure’s boots if and when he leaves.
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Paul Pogba
Perhaps the most obvious replacement is Paul Pogba. The Juventus midfielder is seemingly a younger version of Toure, as he’s able to dictate play from midfield, score long range goals, but also defend well too.
The City fans over at the bar are most excited by the prospect of signing the 22-year old and hope that his capture could serve as a low-blow to rivals Manchester United, who allowed the Golden Boy winner to leave back in 2012.
City fans were impressed by both of his performances against them in the group stages of the Champions League this season and hope that he will instead be terrorising other Premier League sides next season.
Ross Barkley
Another player who has performed well against the Manchester Blues is a player currently plying his trade in Merseyside Blue.
Everton midfielder Ross Barkley is currently valued at around £50 million by the Toffees, but City may be willing to splash the cash on the 22-year old.
With Barkley, there is also the added appeal that he would count towards the required quota of home grown players in City’s squad.
Aaron Ramsey
Another Premier League alternative is Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey, who has recently emerged as a shock transfer target of Guardiola’s.
The Welshman would again be considered a home grown player, but is a more unlikely possibility as he currently plays for one of City’s league rivals.
The 25-year old has an eye for goal and is also comfortable operating in a more defensive position, as well as out wide on the wing, which would make him an attractive option for City.
Thiago Alcantara
Currently featuring for Guardiola himself at Bayern Munich, the Spanish midfielder followed his compatriot coach from Barcelona back in 2013.
One punter over by the slot machines believes that Guardiola could be set to launch an ambitious move to take the 24-year old with him yet again as the midfielder is perfectly suited to the Spanish coach’s style.
Ilkay Gundogan
An alternative option from within the German Bundesliga is Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan.
It is perhaps surprising that the 25-year old has not yet moved to a more high profile European outfit, with the likes of Real Madrid having demonstrated an interested in the past.
But Guardiola will know all about the German’s ability from the time spent in Germany and may look to pursue him in the summer.
The football fanatics in the corner who have a good knowledge of the Bundesliga believe that Gundogan would be a top acquisition for the Blues and could potentially be good value for money.
