Manchester City have found themselves in a difficult position after four defeats in-a-row in all competitions and they are currently sat five points adrift of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table.
Pep Guardiola only made two signings in the summer transfer window, Savinho and Ilkay Gundogan, and currently has a very experienced squad, with an average age of 27.8.
The Spanish head coach has plenty of experienced players who have been there and done it but is, perhaps, missing some youthful enthusiasm to add something different at times.
Bringing Gundogan back to the club on a free transfer from Barcelona, for example, has not worked out perfectly to date, as he has struggled in the Premier League.
Ilkay Gundogan's performances in the Premier League
The German dynamo, who only spent one year away from The Etihad, has started seven of his ten appearances in the top-flight since his return to the club in the summer.
However, the 34-year-old central midfielder has struggled to provide much in the way of quality, with zero goals from 1.29 xG and zero ‘big chances’ created for his teammates in those ten games.
The City whiz has also lost 51% of his ground duels and averaged just 0.9 tackles and interceptions per game in the division, which shows that he has failed to offer much in and out of possession, having starred in the Premier League earlier in his career.
Manchester City may currently be regretting their decision to allow Adrian Bernabe to depart on a free transfer in the summer of 2021, as the central midfielder has thrived as a young talent since moving on from the club.
Adrian Bernabe's soaring market value
The Cityzens released the Spaniard for nothing ahead of the 2021/22 campaign and he was valued at just €2.3m (£1.9m) by Transfermarkt at the time, after making five senior appearances for City in the EFL Cup in three years in Manchester.
Market Movers
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Bernabe has had to work hard to make it back to the top level, however, as he joined Parma on a free transfer in the Serie B and spent three seasons in the second tier, helping them to earn promotion last term.
His form in the Serie A this season, though, suggests that he has matured and developed enough to compete week-in-week-out in a major European league.
Appearances
11
10
Big chances created
1
0
Key passes per game
1.8
1.5
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.4
0.9
Ground duel success rate
61%
49%
As you can see in the table above, Bernabe has outperformed Gundogan as a creative force in midfield, whilst also offering more defensively.
The 23-year-old, whose dribbling was described as “breathtaking” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, is 11 years younger than the German midfielder and could have offered more to City and Guardiola in midfield in the present day, if they had kept hold of him.
His market value has also soared as a result of his performances for Parma. Transfermarkt has his current market value at €15m (£12.4m), which means that it has gone up by a whopping 552% since his exit from England.
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Therefore, City may regret losing him for nothing as he has developed into an excellent talent in the Serie A and could have provided them with the youthful energy and quality that they currently lack in midfield with Gundogan.
