Manchester City’s Need for a Striker Will be Their Downfall

23/09/21 1775

When you’re a bit of a newcomer in the upper echelons of European football, one thing you need to do is stay there and find out why you made it that far, and for Manchester City, it’s an unrivalled access to wealth.

The Citizens once plateaued in the Premier League when they returned back in 2003 and until 2008, there was never a hope they would progress much further than mid-table.

A windfall from Qatar would arrive, and now City now have the chance to buy whoever they want, but for some reason, have stopped in this regard.

Indeed, they did sign Jack Grealish for £100m, but this was far from what they needed as the great Sergio Aguero has yet to be replaced. Gabriel Jesus was meant to be that man, but with just one Premier League goal, he is far from convincing Manchester City fans he could be the man, while Ferran Torres’ goals in the league have dried up.

After a 0-0 draw with Southampton once again screamed for an out-and-out number nine, City would see two defenders and two wingers score against RB Leipzig, as Jesus finally got back on the scoresheet.

In the fast-paced, diverse and relentless nature of the Champions League, this may work, but domestically, the physical side of the Premier League will reign supreme and the days of an elite striker will never not be needed.

Pep Guardiola’s men have still managed to score 11 goals, but given how 10 of these came in back-to-back games across in games two and three of the new season, the more time goes on, the more it’s evident they need to replace Aguero.

The likes of Lautaro Martinez have become more likely signings than Harry Kane the past few months, with there being a seemingly impossible side to that signing with the Tottenham Hotspur striker tied down to a ridiculous contract.

The Inter Milan star would be easy to prize away, given the torrid finances of the club which was evident as they allowed Romelu Lukaku to depart so easily. A similar situation comes with Mauro Icardi of Paris Saint-Germain, who is starved of game time.

Elsewhere, reports have suggested Robert Lewandowski may look to leave Bayern Munich one day to challenge himself elsewhere, and this would, despite the age, be monumental.

Absolutely all of the attention will swing towards Erling Haaland soon, should Kane be unavailable, as at 21 years old, there really is no better bang for your buck than the sensational Norwegian.

This would be one of the best signings in recent Premier League history, and regardless of who City get, they simply have to get somebody in soon.