This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
Reports from AS have linked Real Madrid star Isco to Manchester City, however, Pep Guardiola should take a look at his current squad before he splashes the cash again.
What’s the word, then?
It has been no secret that Zinedine Zidane is not a massive fan of Isco, as the Spaniard has once again struggled to get into his Madrid side of late.
This season, the 27-year-old has started just twice in La Liga, two seasons after he started only 18 league games in 2016-17 during Zidane’s first reign.
The AS report states that Guardiola sees Isco as a candidate to replace David Silva, who is set to leave the Etihad at the end of the season.
The news from Spain touches on how Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are also after the Madrid midfielder.
Trust in Foden
As much as Isco has proved to be an incredibly able player down the years, Guardiola has players residing within his ranks who are capable of stepping into Silva’s shoes.
Isco did score 10 goals and provide eight assists in 2016-17, but he has since bagged just 12 goals over the past two seasons and is not exactly seeing much game time this campaign.
On the other hand, Phil Foden has been making a lot of noise in Manchester over the years, to a point where Guardiola labelled him the “most talented player” he has ever seen in his career as a manager.
The Spaniard certainly knows a star when he sees one, having nurtured the likes of Sergio Busquets during his time at Barcelona. If Foden does indeed surpass the multitude of supremely talented individuals he has managed in Catalonia and Bavaria, City will have an almighty superstar on their hands.
And if his latest performance against Atalanta is anything to go by, there is no doubt he can become a regular in the starting XI following Silva’s departure.
He tallied 4 key passes in an all-action display which eventually saw him sent off under incredibly dubious circumstances, but the composure and exuberance on display was the most telling story of the evening.
Silva has given the Citizens 10 years of service and helped them to win 10 major trophies. However, with their academy graduate, they could potentially earn even more silverware. The Spain international was 24 when he first joined City and Foden is only 19, which could mean they can get more than 10 years of magic out of him.
Quite frankly, there is no need for Guardiola to chase Isco – he has a legend in the making under his nose and should use him instead.
