On the latest episode of The Football Show podcast, former footballer John Giles has suggested that Manchester City should look to sign West Ham man Declan Rice in the summer transfer window.
The Citizens have arguably missed having club legend Vincent Kompany at the heart of their defence; having conceded 34 goals in the Premier League this season, which is already 11 more than the 23 they conceded in the entirety of the 2018/19 Premier League campaign.
With Pep Guardiola reportedly looking to sign two centre-backs this summer, you could certainly argue that their defence remains an issue, and Giles feels that signing Declan Rice could go some way towards solving that.
Here’s what the former Leeds United man had to say about the 21-year-old, first when asked about where he sees his best position:
“I think he’s a top-class player and what you find with top-class players [is] they can play in most positions. In other words, he’s a very, very good midfield player. But he’d be an even better central defender player. If I were Guardiola, I’d pay whatever was needed to pay for him and put him in the back four.”
He later goes on to say: “He’s got all the things that’s needed for that particular position. He’s a very, very good midfield player and obviously, West Ham have to play him in that position because he’s very valuable to them in that position, but if he was going to a top-class team like Manchester City, he’d be a dream player for Manchester City playing in the centre-back position.”
TIF Thoughts…
Rice has impressed this season with West Ham, despite the team struggling in the Premier League, with the young midfielder having averaged a very solid 6.93 rating for his performances in the top-flight, with no goals and two assists to his name in 34 appearances (per Whoscored).
Would Rice be a good signing for City?
Yes
No
Giles suggests that if he were Manchester City then he would pay whatever is necessary in order to bring him in, and with the 21-year-old currently valued at £44.55 million, that could prove to be a very expensive signing. However, it is clear that Giles is a big fan of the West Ham man and feels that he would be a great signing for the Citizens this summer.