Why Manchester City Should Break the Bank to Sign Mateo Musacchio
Manchester City look set to miss out on Liverpool centre-back Daniel Agger, who has made it clear that he intends to stay at Anfield (via The Guardian).
One viable alternative to Agger is Villarreal's 21-year-old Argentine defender Mateo Musacchio.
Here's why Manchester City must sign Musacchio before the transfer deadline.
Manchester City's Current Centre-Backs
1 of 4Vincent Kompany: Aside from being one of the best centre-backs in the world, he's a leader on and off the field.
Joleon Lescott: The former Everton man is a dependable defender, but unlikely to transition into a world-class centre-back. He will never live up to his £22 million transfer fee.
Kolo Touré: If Yaya Touré wasn't a City player, Kolo would have been sold a long time ago.
Stefan Savić: The Montenegrin is one of the worst squad players at a top Premier League club.
Villarreal's Situation
2 of 4A 5-0 loss to Barcelona to start the season foreshadowed the tough year that Villarreal would experience. This was a side that reached the UEFA Champions League semifinals not so long ago.
How much was Mateo Musacchio to blame?
The answer is very little, because he was the team's best defender.
Cristián Zapata forgot how to defend, Gonzalo wasn’t any better and Giuseppe Rossi was injured for the large majority of the season.
With Villarreal playing Segunda football this season, the club have next-to-no leverage over Musacchio's long-term future.
It would be a wise investment for Manchester City to sign such a promising young centre-back in Musacchio.
Statistically Analysing Mateo Musacchio to Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott
3 of 4Musacchio is blessed with the innate ability to read the passes of opposing players and make interceptions. He is a prolific ball-winner, who would be excellent in a back three.
Here's a statistical analysis of Mateo Musacchio, Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott.
| League Only | Musacchio | Kompany | Lescott |
| Tackles Per Game | 2.5 | 2.1 | 1.4 |
| Tackles Per Foul | 1.9 | 2.2 | 1.7 |
Interceptions Per Game | 5 | 2.4 | 1.7 |
Pass % | 81.1 | 86.6 | 87.5 |
Mateo Musacchio's Upside
4 of 4Forget about his 150 interceptions last season—Mateo Musacchio's presence at the back, his football IQ and his leadership proves he has the potential for greatness.
If Manchester City wants to sign young, talented players, Musacchio should be high on their list. There's no need to overpay for an injury-prone Jack Rodwell.
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