---
title: "Manchester City: Alan Hutton talks up possible Ben Chilwell move"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/man-city-ben-chilwell-transfer-rumours-news/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Dominic Lund"
section: "Manchester City News"
published: "2023-02-06T17:21:56Z"
modified: "2023-02-06T17:21:56Z"
---

# Manchester City: Alan Hutton talks up possible Ben Chilwell move

**[Manchester City](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/manchester-city-news/) have been advised to consider signing Chelsea left-back [Ben Chilwell](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/tag/ben-chilwell/) by former Scotland defender Alan Hutton.**

### The Lowdown: Man City need a left-back

Joao Cancelo departed for Bayern Munich on loan at the end of the January transfer window, with the German champions retaining the option to make that permanent for a fee of [£61m](<https://www.skysports.com/football/news/30964/12799199/joao-cancelo-transfer-news-man-city-full-back-set-for-shock-bayern-munich-loan-until-end-of-season#:~:text=Defender%20Joao%20Cancelo%20is%20set,%C2%A361m%20(%E2%82%AC70m).>), leaving City rather light at left-back.

Rico Lewis was [handed a start](https://www.sofascore.com/tottenham-hotspur-manchester-city/rI) by [Pep Guardiola](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/tag/pep-guardiola/) in the 1-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, but given that he is just 18, the manager will likely to bring in a player with a little more experience, and Chilwell has been [identified](https://www.goal.com/en/news/man-city-raid-chelsea-chilwell-summer-cancelo/blt6801cc7d10769e86) as a possible summer target.

### The Latest: Chilwell talked up

Hutton spoke to [Football Insider](https://www.footballinsider247.com/man-city-backed-to-complete-ben-chilwell-signing-on-one-condition-pundit/) about the possibility of the Chelsea defender moving to the Etihad Stadium, which he feels would be a worthwhile venture for the [Premier League](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/premier-league-news/) champions.

The ex-Tottenham right-back said of Chilwell’s links with City: “*It would be a good move.* *I would not have thought Chelsea would want to lose him. I think he is an integral part of their team, him and Reece James. Especially when they are both fit and playing.*

“*Depending on what happens with Cancelo, we will have to wait and see. But Chilwell when he is fit is a top player, one of the best in the country.*

“*With \[Oleksandr\] Zinchenko leaving to go to Arsenal, it is an area they will need to strengthen.*

\[freshpress-quiz id=”410621″\]

### The Verdict: Best to avoid

The 26-year-old has not been in the best of form for Chelsea this season, ranking a lowly 18th in the squad among Sofascore’s performance metrics with a [6.77](https://www.sofascore.com/team/football/chelsea/38) rating, while he is also showing signs of being injury-prone.

Since arriving at Stamford Bridge in 2020, the Englishman has missed [53](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ben-chilwell/verletzungen/spieler/316125) games through injury, and he has been absent for ten games with a hamstring problem this term.

There are some indications that Chilwell would fit a [possession-based](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11662/12202414/pep-guardiola-exclusive-interview-possession-football-is-the-secret-of-man-citys-defensive-success) Guardiola system, as he ranks in the [88th percentile](https://fbref.com/en/players/d2424d1b/Ben-Chilwell) for average attempted passes per 90 in the past year ([67.68](https://fbref.com/en/players/d2424d1b/Ben-Chilwell)) among left-backs in Europe’s top five leagues.

However, his injury history and recent form would suggest that there are probably better options available to City.