Quite a few top English Premier League stars are about to enter the last six months of their contracts and that means that the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Ander Herrera, Juan Mata, Ross Barkley and Emre Can could discuss terms with any interested club come January, if they fail to agree a new contract with their current employer.

Another player who could leave his current club under the Bosman ruling in 2018 is Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho.

The Brazilian international doesn’t garner the same press attention or plaudits as Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus or David Silva but his disciplined displays are vitally important to Pep Guardiola’s side and game plan.

In my opinion, it’s extremely important that the Citizens agree a new deal with the thirty-two year old.

Fernandinho doesn’t grab a host of goals nor does he grab the majority of his side’s assists. Although I should note the holding midfielder has scored two and created two assists for City in thirteen league appearances so far this term. That includes a screamer against Stoke City, back in October.

Ultimately what the veteran really does well, is give the team much needed balance and the dirty defensive work that give the rest of the team a strong foundation to build from.

On Average the defensive middle-man makes 2.1 tackles per Premier League fixture, that is the most of any Man City player. He is also averaging 1.8 clearances per game and around 1.8 interceptions.

Fernandinho is also doing well with his passing game, which we know is a huge part of Pep’s footballing philosophy. The Brazilian has a 90.6% passing success rate and makes on average 87.8 passes per game.

Age isn’t an issue either for the midfielder, as only David Silva has played more top flight minutes for Man City this season. He has also won a Premier League trophy with the Eithad club in 2014 and that winning experience could prove vital as they chase for their first title under Guardiola’s guidance.

The player himself recognises that he has improved a lot under his manager:

“Since I came here I have improved a lot, especially in the last year. Pep has helped me a lot and I have more confidence now,”

You’d expect that Fernandinho would want to stick around and stay when things are going so well with City. The Champions League is now a realistic target for the Citizens.

Pep clearly trusts his defensive midfielder and knows that exactly what the player brings to his squad. Earlier this month the City boss heaped praise on his consistent performer:

“I think Fernandinho, right now, is one of the three best holding midfielders in the world,”

“Fernandinho has achieved another level, with his positivity and his mentality.”

“He gives us a lot, with the ball and without the ball, in terms of many things we need to compete.”

For all the glitz and glamour that attacking, passing football brings you, you still need to be disciplined and strong mentally.

With that in mind, I truly expect Manchester City to tie down Fernandinho to a new contract before the first of January.

Posted on November 27th, 2017 by scott
Filed under: Article