---
title: "Manchester City: Pep Guardiola seeking to sign a defender in January"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/manchester-city-pep-guardiola-seeking-to-sign-a-defender-in-january/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Liam Togher"
section: "Manchester City Football Club"
published: "2019-09-05T19:55:57Z"
modified: "2019-09-05T19:55:57Z"
---

# Manchester City: Pep Guardiola seeking to sign a defender in January

**Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has expressed his intentions to sign a defender when the transfer window reopens in January.**

[![Premiership Picks](https://cdn.footballleagueworld.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Premiership-Picks-Desktop.png)](https://premierpicks.uk/)

[The Daily Mail](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7428469/Man-City-News-Pep-Guardiola-wants-sign-defender-January-Aymeric-Laporte-injury-blow.html) reported that Guardiola is seeking to add a defender to his squad at the next opportunity, with multiple injuries leaving him light for centre-back options.

John Stones is only coming back from a recent thigh injury while Aymeric Laporte is set to miss the rest of 2019 after damaging cartilage in his knee during last week’s win over Brighton, according to [The Daily Mail](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7428469/Man-City-News-Pep-Guardiola-wants-sign-defender-January-Aymeric-Laporte-injury-blow.html).

[The Daily Mail](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7428469/Man-City-News-Pep-Guardiola-wants-sign-defender-January-Aymeric-Laporte-injury-blow.html) added that Guardiola will push for a defensive signing in January even if Laporte is nearing a return by then.

![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/THE-BREAKDOWN.png)

Laporte’s long-term absence leaves [Stones and Nicolas Otamendi as the only natural centre-backs in Manchester City’s senior squad](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/manchester-city/kadernachposition/verein/281), which would leave Guardiola needing to experiment if either of those players were to become unavailable before the New Year.

Fernandinho [filled in at centre-back for the French defender after replacing him against Brighton](https://www.whoscored.com/Matches/1375958/Live/England-Premier-League-2019-2020-Manchester-City-Brighton) and told [I News](https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/fernandinho-centre-back-aymeric-laporte-injury-cover-pep-guardiola-harry-maguire-transfer/) that he is ready to fulfil that role whenever needed, but he has only played in that position [four times](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/fernandinho/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/26267) during a club career spanning [more than 550 appearances](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/fernandinho/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/26267).

However, Manchester City [won three of the four matches in which he has played at centre-back](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/fernandinho/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/26267/saison//verein/0/liga/0/wettbewerb//trainer_id/0/pos/3), while in last Saturday’s game he [won two aerial duels, made one interception and recorded a passing success rate of 93.3%](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/19119/MatchStatistics/Fernandinho), indicating that he could be an assured option at the heart of defence.

[Right-back Kyle Walker](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/manchester-city/kadernachposition/verein/281) is another [first-team player who could be redeployed at centre-back](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/manchester-city/kadernachposition/verein/281) if required, but he has played there just [twice in 416 senior club games](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/kyle-walker/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/95424), [most recently in the 1-0 win over Burnley last April](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/kyle-walker/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/95424/saison//verein/0/liga/0/wettbewerb//trainer_id/0/pos/3).

Manchester City did not name any other centre-backs in the [25-man squad list they submitted to the Premier League](https://www.premierleague.com/news/1335777) this week, although they have [three such players from the under-23 squad](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/manchester-city-u21/startseite/verein/9265) on their [under-21 Contracts and Scholars list](https://www.premierleague.com/news/1335777).

Eric Garcia has made [three senior appearances](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/eric-garcia/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/466794) for the club, [all in last season’s Carabao Cup](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/eric-garcia/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/466794), although neither [Taylor Harwood-Bellis](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/taylor-harwood-bellis/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/503977) nor [Yeboah Amankwah](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/yeboah-amankwah/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/530740) have played at senior level.

![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Verdict.png)

Fernandinho’s tidy display against Brighton on Saturday suggests that he could be a decent centre-back option if either Stones or Otamendi weren’t available, while Walker also has some experience of covering there.

However, considering that [Vincent Kompany left the club in May](https://www.mancity.com/news/first-team/first-team-news/2019/may/man-city-vincent-kompany-leaves-man-city) and that they pulled out of the race to sign Harry Maguire in the summer, as reported by the [Daily Mail](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7428469/Man-City-News-Pep-Guardiola-wants-sign-defender-January-Aymeric-Laporte-injury-blow.html), Guardiola ought to have known he was taking a risk going into the season with only three senior centre-backs.

The manager now has four months to carefully identify the defender that is needed to shore up a part of the squad that is already proving problematic.

***Manchester City fans, what defenders would you like to see coming to the club in January? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below!***