Every defender signed by Pep Guardiola at Man City - ranked
By Charlie Stewart
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City are one of the most potent sides in the world, riddled with attacking talent. In each of the last three seasons, the Cityzens have netted the most goals in English football's top flight.
However, it's down the other end where they tend to struggle. The backline is a constant Achilles heel for Guardiola, prone to mistakes and capitulation.
Because of this, it's no surprise that a large chunk of the City budget has gone towards the defence. Portuguese centre-back Ruben Dias was brought in from Benfica for a fee of £65m, taking Guardiola's defence spending to over £400m since coming to the Etihad in 2016 in the summer.
And that big money move has proved to be a bloody great one, seeing as City now boast the most frugal defence in the league.
The success of Ruben Dias at City, got us thinking: who is the best defender Guardiola has signed at City? So, we decided to rank them all.
9. Angelino (£10.5m)
After allowing him to go to PSV Eindhoven in 2018, Man City triggered a buy-back clause in Angelino's contract to bring him back to the Etihad Stadium.
The Spaniard made just six Premier League appearances, before being loaned out to RB Leipzig.
8. Danilo (£26.5m)
Danilo was brought in from Real Madrid, mainly to be a back-up option. And...yeah, that's what he was. Scored a screamer against Burnley once, to be fair. Also won five trophies.
The Brazilian was later sold to Juventus.
7. Nathan Ake (£41m)
Maybe it's a bit harsh to judge Ake just yet. For all we know, he could go on to be a star at Man City. However, with Dias' arrival, it seems increasingly likely that the 25-year-old will be nothing more than a third choice.
6. Benjamin Mendy (£52m)
Off the back of a title-winning season in Ligue 1 with Monaco, the young French left-back was brought to Man City for a hefty price.
After an encouraging start to life in England, Mendy was hit with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, keeping him out for seven months.
And that's pretty much the story of Mendy's Man City career: shown some promise, got injured, lengthy lay-off, repeat. Still got two Premier League medals, mind you.
5. Joao Cancelo (£60m)
Highly rated right-back Joao Cancelo was brought to Manchester in 2019, with Danilo going in the opposite direction.
The former Juventus man has struggled for minutes at the Etihad in his first season, often playing second fiddle to Kyle Walker. This season however Cancelo has made the left-back spot his own and become a real asset to Pep Guardiola's team.
4. Aymeric Laporte (£57m)
Once upon a time at City, Laporte was the man in defence. This season, however, things have taken a slight turn - largely due to Stones' great form and Laporte's myriad of injury concerns.
Still, though, you can't deny the man's talent.
Good on the ball, composed, strong in the air, and a good reader of the game, Laporte offers something at both ends of the pitch, scoring seven goals in all competitions for the Cityzens to date.
3. John Stones (£47.5m)
Renowned for his ball-playing abilities, John Stones was touted to become a huge star under Guardiola's tutelage when he arrived from Everton.
And finally, after flattering to deceive for a number of years, Stones is showing the form which earned him the move to City in the first place. The centre-back is now so good that Aymeric Laporte can't even get a game at the heart of the defence.
2. Ruben Dias (£65m)
Well, it's fair to say this has been a good season, eh?
Ruben Dias signed in the summer transfer window of 2020 and has instantly become one of City's most important players, and one of the best defenders in the Premier League.
1. Kyle Walker (£50m)
Since arriving from Tottenham Hotspur in 2017, Walker has been a regular in Guardiola's side, featuring 163 times in all competitions.
Pacy, strong, and powerful, the 30-year-old contributes at both ends of the pitch. And, while he's still susceptible to the odd clanger, the Englishman is often a reliable option in the right-back spot.