n8rngtd.topManchester City were hit with a big blow in the summer when it was confirmed that Kevin De Bruyne was due to leave the club at the end of his contract at The Etihad.
The Belgian wizard ended his City career with 108 goals, 177 assists, and 16 trophies won, per Transfermarkt, which illustrates just how incredibly successful his time at the club was.
De Bruyne was still influential at the top end of the pitch in his final campaign with the Cityzens, registering six goals and eight assists in all competitions last term.
Man City swooped to sign Rayan Cherki from Lyon in the summer transfer window to ‘replace’ the now-Napoli star, but he is not Pep Guardiola’s new De Bruyne.
Why Rayan Cherki is not Man City's new Kevin De Bruyne
There is an understandable comparison to make between the two players because the France international is an outstanding creative midfielder, as the Belgian star is.
The magical playmaker, who produced 20 assists in all competitions for Lyon last season, per Sofascore, has assisted six goals in six starts in the top-flight for City so far.
|
Most assists in Top 5 Leagues (25/26) |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Assists |
|
Michael Olise |
9 |
|
Lamine Yamal |
8 |
|
Marcus Rashford |
8 |
|
Rayan Cherki |
6 |
|
Vinicius Jr |
6 |
|
Vitinha |
6 |
|
Luis Diaz |
6 |
|
Mohammed Kudus |
6 |
|
Bruno Fernandes |
6 |
|
Fares Chaibi |
6 |
|
Stats via Transfermarkt |
|
As you can see in the table above, only three players in the top five leagues in Europe have registered more assists than Cherki has this season, which shows that he has replaced De Bruyne’s creativity.
However, the French attacking midfielder has only scored one goal in the Premier League and three in all competitions, which shows that he has not quite offered the same goal threat that the Belgian did.
The 22-year-old star has plenty of time left ahead of him to develop that side of his game to become a complete player for City in the future, but he is not quite there yet.
Meanwhile, Manchester City stalwart Phil Foden is showing that he is Guardiola’s new De Bruyne, stepping up as the main source of quality at the top end of the pitch from a midfield position.
Why Phil Foden is Man City's new Kevin De Bruyne
The 25-year-old star, who was described as a “generational” star by journalist Miguel Delaney, scored his tenth goal of the season already in the 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday, firing into the bottom corner from Cherki’s lay-off.
After the match, Guardiola, who also admitted that it was not Foden’s best performance, stated that the forward has “unbelievable” quality in and around the box.
Just like De Bruyne, the England international has become a player who can be relied upon to be a difference-maker in the final third as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
Foden has racked up ten goals and four assists in all competitions for City, per Sofascore, which means that he is on course for his fourth season with double figures for goals and assists for the club. De Bruyne, per Sofascore, achieved that feat in five of his ten seasons at the club.
|
Phil Foden for Man City |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Goals |
Assists |
|
25/26 |
10 |
4 |
|
24/25 |
13 |
6 |
|
23/24 |
27 |
12 |
|
22/23 |
15 |
7 |
|
21/22 |
14 |
11 |
|
20/21 |
16 |
10 |
|
19/20 |
8 |
9 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
||
As you can see in the table above, the English attacking midfielder is following in De Bruyne’s footsteps and, at the age of 25, could go on to eclipse five seasons with a double-double of goals and assists.
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Foden has proven that he has the quality to deliver quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals, as De Bruyne did, for Manchester City in all competitions, which is what makes him such a formidable attacking threat.
Whereas, as aforementioned, Cherki is yet to show that he can score goals as frequently as he can create them, which is why he is not quite at the level that De Bruyne set at The Etihad.
With Cherki, Foden, and Erling Haaland spearheading the attack, though, Guardiola has enough quality at the top end of the pitch to ease the blow of losing the Belgian legend in the summer.
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