Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Manchester City: Alan Hutton reacts to Cucurella news
Manchester City will be ‘devastated’ by missing out on the signing of Brighton & Hove Albion defender Marc Cucurella, according to former Premier League ace Alan Hutton.
The lowdown: Top target
The Blues had seemingly installed Cucurella as the number one target to replace Oleksandr Zinchenko after the Ukraine international left Manchester for Arsenal this summer.
However, despite making early progress in talks for the 24-year-old Spain international, the two clubs were unable to find an agreement on a fee and ultimately, City walked away from the pursuit.
That ending of interest has allowed Chelsea to swoop in and complete a deal for Cucurella, circumstances that one pundit believes will have left officials at the Etihad disappointed.
The latest: ‘Devastated’
Speaking to Football Insider, ex-Aston Villa and Spurs man turned BBC Radio 5 Live commentator Hutton has claimed that Man City will be ‘devastated’ to miss out.
He said: “Arguably you’re going to a rival and Man City needed a left-back, that’s the biggest point in this. Obviously Zinchenko left to go to Arsenal so there’s a void there I think.
“Even when [Benjamin] Mendy was there, he didn’t really hit the ground running, so I did think it’s a position where they’ve needed to strengthen for a number of seasons.
“They’ve identified Cucurella as that attacking threat and they weren’t willing to meet the valuation from Brighton. Man City will obviously be devastated, he was their number one target and he’s gone to a rival.”
The verdict: Moving on
Whilst landing the principal target would clearly have been the ideal outcome, having missed out on Cucurella after standing firm on their valuation, Txiki Begiristain and Pep Guardiola are wasting little time and have already moved on to an alternative target in the shape of Anderlecht youngster Sergio Gomez.
Last season, the 21-year-old Spain Under 21 sensation scored seven times and provided a remarkable 15 assists in 49 appearances across all competitions in Belgium, earning a 7.38 Sofascore rating whilst winning 3.1 duels, making 1.3 interceptions and 1.7 key passes on average per game in the Pro League – showcasing impressive defensive and attacking acumen.
Those statistics for a then Vincent Kompany-managed side, coupled with an array of strong attributes, particularly in a forward-thinking sense, make Gomez a superb addition to Guardiola’s ranks and one that will surely soften the blow of losing out on Cucurella.
