Do Manchester City really need to replace Leroy Sane? Assessing Guardiola's options ahead of next season
The age-old transfer saga involving Manchester City star-man Leroy Sane wanting to move to Bayern Munich was finally brought to its conclusion.
Manager Pep Guardiola revealed that the German will not sign a new contract with the Blues and will, as a result, leave the club. The Catalan did not mention the recently-crowned Bundesliga champions as Leroy Sane’s next destination, but it is obvious that the attacker wants to join the Bavarians ahead of the 2020/21 season.
The news quickly reverberated around the world as City fans expressed their displeasure at Leroy Sane’s decision. The 24-year-old is a rare talent and has the unmatched potential to become one of the best players on the planet in the future.
With his inevitable departure, City will have had sold two generational talents of world football to German clubs in the past three years with Jadon Sancho being the other. Both, interestingly, were believed to be dissatisfied with the treatment given to them by Guardiola.
However, Leroy Sane’s choice has not come as a huge surprise for many as the former Schalke man could hardly be expected to forego the golden opportunity of returning to his home country. He can become the poster boy of Bayern Munich and cement his position in Joachim Low’s national squad.
Leroy Sane at Manchester City
Perhaps if Guardiola’s recent announcement came last summer, it would have been a hard-hitting blow to the club following Sane’s phenomenal 2018/19 season. He was one of only three players in the Premier League, alongside Eden Hazard and Raheem Sterling, who hit double figures in both goals (10) and assists (10).
Leroy Sane's most notable contribution, however, was against title-rivals Liverpool as his vital winner in the home fixture in January would go on to decide the title several months later. The high-flying wide-man is known to combine his pace, power and prowess to great effectiveness. Leroy Sane's direct approach, ability to take on defenders at will, and superb technique make it unstoppable for opponents to handle him.
Rumours linking Leroy Sane to Bayern were rife in the transfer window that followed, but his injury in the Community Shield in August meant that any lucrative offers from the German giants had to be postponed.
The left-winger has not played a competitive fixture since then but did make the bench against Arsenal on Wednesday. While many expected Guardiola to give him a few minutes on the night, his decision to not use Leroy Sane as any of his five substitutions was a clear indication that he is already preparing for life without the German international.
Manchester City have not been at their best this season with supporters often pointing out the injuries to Aymeric Laporte and Leroy Sane as the two primary reasons for their decline. However, Guardiola's men, although 22 points behind league leaders Liverpool, are still the division’s highest scorers with 71.
Goals then seem to not be a problem for the domestic-treble holders but it is their defensive record which raises eyebrows. City have leaked more goals than Liverpool, Leicester, Sheffield and Manchester United and have conceded just one less than 11th-placed Crystal Palace.
That being said, as much as Guardiola needs bolstering at the back, Sane’s absence has not been significantly felt in the attacking end, especially as Riyad Mahrez has stepped up and taken responsibility.
After a slow debut season at the Etihad, the Algerian has arguably been City’s best performer this season behind Kevin de Bruyne, who is a sure-shot nominee for the PFA Player of the Year award.
Life at the Etihad without Leroy Sane
Leroy Sane’s attacking acumen was missed but it was not entirely consequential for City. Much of the talk has been around how Guardiola will go about replacing one of his brightest stars.
Names like Real Sociedad’s Mikel Oyarzabal, Wolves’ Adama Traore, Bayern’s Kingsley Coman and former player Jadon Sancho have all popped up as Leroy Sane's potential successors. But it is unlikely that the Mancunians will bring in such expensive attacking reinforcements in the upcoming transfer window.
Firstly, they need to prioritise defensive strengthening with a big-name centre-back and a left-back required. Secondly, the post-pandemic market will restrict City from splashing the cash, and finally, a potential Champions League ban could repel high-profile names from joining the club.
But City, like we witnessed this season, are more than capable of thriving without Leroy Sane. Raheem Sterling has been regularly playing on the left side with Gabriel Jesus also being experimented in that role. On the right, Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva have healthy competition, although the Portuguese’s best position might be in central midfield.
Youngster Phil Foden has also been given a run on the right-wing as we saw in the Carabao Cup final against Aston Villa, a game in which he assisted Sergio Aguero’s opener and went onto bag the Man of the Match award in an impressive performance.
If City are to bring in a replacement, it could well and truly be a relatively cheaper alternative than the likes of Coman and Sancho. Leverkusen’s Leon Bailey, Valencia’s Ferran Torres and Werder Bremen’s Milot Rashica, all in the price bracket of €30-40m, are blistering talents who could blossom under the tutelage of Guardiola.
However, as mentioned earlier, breaking the bank on a centre-back could make it difficult for the club to spend elsewhere.
Another proposition that could send fans into a frenzy would be the promotion of Jayden Braaf to the first team. The 17-year-old is highly-rated among the City faithful and the club directors have already taken notice of him in Academy matches.
However, Braaf is reportedly said to be a difficult character which is probably why he has hardly been involved with the first team. This is unlike Tommy Doyle, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Adrian Bernabe, who have all trained with Guardiola for large parts of the season.
The club have hushed any noise of him seeking a move out of the club, repeatedly claiming that their Dutch wonderkid is very much a part of the City project. Extremely quick, dynamic and full of tricks, Braaf’s elevation to the first team will be no less than a brand-new signing.
After analysing every option, only one thing is for sure. Pep Guardiola and the Manchester City hierarchy will need a number of board meetings before the commencement of next season to discuss their stance on Leroy Sane’s ever-developing departure.
And whether they will replace him with another equally-gifted player, a budding youngster, or a raw academy graduate will be interesting to see.