Isco: Why Malaga Playmaker Should Not Be the Priority for Manchester City

Manchester City's thrilling victories over Chelsea in the U.S. have papered over the cracks—this is a club with question marks hovering over the manager's job, the coaching staff and many of the players.

It is widely expected that Manuel Pellegrini will be named the new head coach at the Etihad Stadium, and The Mirror believe the Chilean is seriously considering the job.

He will be departing current club Malaga, who he helped reach the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, losing narrowly to Borussia Dortmund in the closing minutes.

During his time in Andalusia he has nurtured the progression of prodigious talent Isco, a 21-year-old attacking midfielder who has taken La Roselada by storm over the past two years.

He's long been linked to City, and it was only January this year that he signed a new deal to increase his buyout clause, per Sky Sports.

But Isco's latest comments, as reported by Alex Kay of The Daily Mail, have added fuel to the speculation that the Spaniard will soon ply his trade in Manchester.

"

I'd like to carry on working with Pellegrini.

He’s my footballing father. He has given me all the confidence in the world and I’m very comfortable with him. There’s an offer from Manchester City.

I have to look at it calmly because it’s my future and it’s very important. I waiver between the teams who want me because it’s my future. What I want is to play.

"

There's no doubting Isco is a quality, soon-to-be world-class playmaker, but is this the position City need to focus on?

Pellegrini will want to make his own impression on the side should he take charge, and there's no better way of doing that than bringing one of your old players in, but there are issues he should solve first.

Holding midfield represents a problem for Manchester City, and replacing Nigel de Jong with Javi Garcia was a terrible plan. Gareth Barry appears to be regressing a little too, and City need a dedicated holding player of the required quality.

Cast your eyes over the Malaga squad once more and Ignacio Camacho's name jumps out—formely a forgotten man, Pellegrini has revived his career and allowed him to flourish into a no-nonsense holding player.

The other big problem on the Citizens' roster is the lack of a true wide player in the forward areas.

Scott Sinclair is perfect but is frequently ignored, while David Silva and Samir Nasri only look to cut in from the wide areas rather than maintain the width.

A player such as Jesus Navas of Sevilla would be the ideal signing to solve this problem, as he frequently hugs the touchline and stretches the pitch.

There's no doubt Isco is fantastic, and while he could provide the long-term future in the wake of Carlos Tevez's impending departure, both Silva and Nasri could do that too.

Isco is a great buy, but he can't be the priority for City. Other matters need urgently attending to this summer if they wish to mount another trophy challenge.

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