Man City could sign their answer to Cole Palmer in “unplayable” £87m star

Manchester City are back in action in the Champions League this evening as they prepare to travel to Turin to take on Serie A giants Juventus.

The Cityzens are looking to bounce back to winning ways after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Crystal Palace in the Premier League at the weekend.

Pep Guardiola’s side have only won one of their last nine matches, a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, in all competitions, and have lost four of their last six games in the English top-flight.

It is fair to say that the Premier League champions are in a difficult moment and they are already eight points adrift of Liverpool in the title race, whilst also being two points behind Arsenal and four behind Chelsea.

Guardiola’s team need to bounce back and find their consistency again, and quickly, but the club could also look to use the January transfer window, which opens for business next month, to bolster the squad.

City may not have been in this position, where they could need to strengthen in the attacking areas, if they had not cashed in on Cole Palmer last year.

Cole Palmer’s form since leaving Man City

On deadline day at the end of the summer transfer window in 2023, Chelsea swooped in to sign the Man City academy graduate for a reported fee of £40m.

The Blues will surely look back on that as a bargain, as their star attacking midfielder is now valued at €90m (£74m) by Transfermarkt, and he has been a consistently brilliant performer on the pitch for Mauricio Pochettino and, now, Enzo Maresca.

As you can see in the video above, Palmer enjoyed a terrific first season at Stamford Bridge and set the Premier League alight with some special goals.

The England international racked up 25 goals and 15 assists in 45 appearances in all competitions, including 22 goals and 11 assists in 33 top-flight outings.

It was a magical campaign from the left-footed wizard and one that may have left some wondering whether or not it was a one-season wonder from the former City starlet, but his current form proves that it certainly was not.

As you can see in the table above, Palmer has already contributed with a whopping 22 goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in the Premier League this season, significantly outperforming reigning Player of the Year Phil Foden.

Guardiola’s attacking midfielder has not been at his best this year, after a haul of 19 goals and eight assists last term, and the Spanish head coach may have some regrets over his decision to sell Palmer, who has thrived as a top Premier League star since his move to Chelsea.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich tactician could, however, find Manchester City’s answer to Palmer by swooping for reported transfer target Florian Wirtz.

Man City’s interest in Bundesliga sensation

Journalist Graeme Bailey reported earlier this week that the Premier League champions are interested in a swoop to sign the Bayer Leverkusen sensation, but did not state whether they would like to do a deal in January or in the summer.

It was claimed that City are ‘desperate’ to land a move for the Germany international to bolster their attacking options, with Kevin de Bruyne’s 34th birthday fast approaching.

The outlet added that Wirtz is currently valued at around £87m amid interest from a host of top European sides; including Real Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, PSG, and Arsenal.

Manchester City could have an advantage in the race for his signature, however, as Bayer Leverkusen are said to be interested in both Oscar Bobb and James McAtee.

The Boot Room reported that the Cityzens are prepared to offer players to the Bundesliga champions in exchange for Wirtz, but did not confirm that Bobb or McAtee were players that the club are willing to let go of to bring the German to The Etihad.

Guardiola must, now, push for the board to do whatever it takes to get a deal done for Wirtz, in January or next summer, because he could be City’s answer to their former player Cole Palmer.

What Florian Wirtz could bring to Manchester City

As aforementioned, Foden has struggled to build on his impressive form in the 2023/24 campaign and has only contributed with one assist in the Premier League so far this season.

In fact, no Manchester City star outside of Erling Haaland, who has scored 13 times, has scored more than three goals in the league, whilst no player has managed more than four league assists.

This shows that Guardiola does not currently have a reliable attacking outlet, with de Bruyne’s age and injury issues, to deliver goals and assists week-in-week-out in the Premier League, as Chelsea have with Palmer.

Wirtz’s form for Bayer Leverkusen since the start of last season, however, suggests that he has the potential to come in as City’s answer to the English star.

The German wizard, who was dubbed “unplayable” by journalist Matt Ford, ended the 2023/24 campaign with an outstanding return of 18 goals and 20 assists in 49 appearances in all competitions, including 11 goals and 12 assists in the Bundesliga.

As you can see in the table above, Wirtz is on course to hit double figures for goals and assists in the Bundesliga again, and has already hit ten goals for the season including his form in the Champions League.

The creative number ten, whose biggest strengths are listed as passing, dribbling, and key passes on WhoScored, is an attacking midfielder who can consistently chip in with goals whilst also creating high-quality opportunities for his teammates on a regular basis.

This is why the 21-year-old magician could be Man City’s answer to 22-year-old Palmer because both players offer similar qualities in possession and can make a big impact at the top end of the pitch.

Guardiola, as shown by the form of his players this season, does not have a player to influence matches from an attacking midfield position in the way that the Chelsea star does, but that could change with the signing of Wirtz.