Man City must regret losing “wonderkid” for £0

Even though it has been a tough season so far for Manchester City, they are not short of quality attacking options who could give them a real boost for the remainder of the campaign. The Citizens have spent a lot of money on their attack, and some of their star players have really stood up to the count even in a tough period

Of course, Erling Haaland leads the way when it comes to goals, with 27 in 35 appearances to his name so far this term. Summer signing Savinho has been a key source of creativity, with nine assists this term.

Another player who has had a great impact, but has struggled to become a regular starter, is Jeremy Doku.

Doku’s 2024/25 season so far

It has been a strong season for Doku at the Etihad Stadium, despite a lack of minutes. He impressed in his debut campaign, after a £55.5m move from French side Rennes, grabbing 15 goals and assists in 2023/24.

This season, he is on course to beat that. In 23 appearances this term, Doku has scored six times and grabbed seven assists. The City winger has struggled with injury at times and has been an unused substitute six times.

However, the Belgian is having a good impact on Guardiola’s side, when given the chance to play. His 13 goal involvements this term have come in 1177 minutes, the equivalent of just 13 full 90-minute games.

One of the best performances City’s number 11 put in this term came in a standout 3-0 home win against Nottingham Forest. The 22-year-old scored and assisted against the Premier League’s surprise package, in what was a key win after a poor run from City.

CIES Football Observatory believe Doku’s value has shot up since he joined City. They value him at £76.2m, showing his importance and impact when donning that famous Blue shirt, even if he has not featured too much.

As good as Doku has been for City, there is another former player who is worth even more, who the club should perhaps have kept hold of.

The Man City player worth more than Doku

One of the big mistakes that City have repeatedly made over the years is to sell, or release, some of their most exciting academy players. The best examples of this include Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, and Liam Delap. All three are now performing well in the Premier League.

However, perhaps the worst case of this was to allow winger Jamie Gittens to leave the club on a free transfer and join Borussia Dortmund back in 2020. The Englishman has become one of the most exciting players in Europe since.

The London-born winger has been in electric form for a Dortmund side who have struggled this season. In 34 appearances, Gittens has scored 11 goals and grabbed four assists. He began the campaign in strong fashion, with both goals in a 2-0 win at home against Eintracht Frankfurt.

The winger’s statistics on FBref in the Bundesliga this season show exactly why he has been so good. He has been sensational with the ball at his feet, averaging 4.37 successful take-ons per game, which ranks him in the top 1%, and 0.6 goal-creating actions, ranking him in the top 17%.

Given how well Gittens has played, it might not be a surprise to learn that Dortmund value him so highly. Should a summer move arise, BILD believes that the German giants will ask for £85m to sign the former City star.

That must sting City. A player who they allowed to leave for nothing, could now go for upwards of £85m in the summer, higher in value even than Doku, who has had a fantastic impact at the Etihad Stadium.

Had City kept their “wonderkid”, as Statman Dave described him, things could have turned out so differently. They could have either been in line for incredible profit or have had another exciting talent in their squad.

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