Manchester City: 5 Potential Targets to Shore Up Central Defense

Manuel Pellegrini never denied that Manchester City might continue to spend this off season, and with good reason: their quality options at center back were down to Vincent Kompany, Matia Nastasic, and Joleon Lescott.

Key word there? Were.

Potentially ruining his next three weeks, the injury to the knee of Matija Nastasic is not necessarily a fire alarm fire, but it highlights that—at the very least—City are lacking options in the event of an actual emergency.

So this is just a drill, but with the season still weeks away, plenty of time remains—why should we expect "the Engineer" to let such a vulnerability go unaddressed?

With that in mind, let's look at some of the options available as Manuel Pellegrini continues building his championship-winning machine.

Leonardo Bonucci

Featuring extensively for both Juventus and the Italian National Team, 26-year-old Leonardo Bonucci is a key contributor to two of the best defending squads on the planet.

While not the most composed tackler, Bonucci is a fantastic handler of the ball for a central defender.

Skill on the ball and a need for improvement in defensive concentration prompted another big name center back—David Luiz of Chelsea—to begin a transition to defensive midfield. Bonucci's skill set is similar, and for any team looking at European competition, this kind of squad versatility is extremely important.

Mamadou Sakho

23-year-old Mamadou Sakho is a gem being polished before the French capital's eyes at PSG.

A tall, strong defender, Sakho had some trouble adapting to playing for such a big club at an early age. Lapses in concentration led to cheap mistakes, but his play has progressed tremendously, now losing the ball less frequently than any of his teammates.

Last season, he started 24 times, proving his worth to the Ligue 1 champions.

This has not stopped Paris Saint-Germain from spending big on more talent in central defense, signing AS Roma starlet Marquinhos for an eye-watering fee of €35 million, meaning stiff competition for places is guaranteed.

Reports of ongoing contract talks with PSG continue to circulate, like this one from the International Business Times. With his contract set to expire next year, now is the perfect time to make a solid offer.

Kyriakos Papadopoulos

21-year-old Kyriakos Papadapoulos looks to regain his position as top-young European center back after an extensive injury layoff, and all signs point to him being successful, whether he returns to Schalke or signs elsewhere.

His game is all power, aggression, and quickness, leading his club in average tackles, blocked shots and clearances.

Concerns about his temperament are well founded, but City may find that erratic aggression on the defensive end of the pitch has some uses.

If anything, the English game is still the most physically demanding in Europe, and Kyriakos Papadapoulos looks more than up to the challenge.

Diego Godín

27-year-old Urugayan international Diego Godin, currently plying his trade for Atletico Madrid, is one of the more well-rounded center backs in Europe.

He excels in every aspect of defense—tackling, intercepting, clearing and winning aerial contests. 

But Godin's key strength may in fact be his consistency. Generating a WhoScored? rating of 7.31 last season, he ranks third in La Liga among defenders. With five MotM awards, he is second among defenders.

Such a skilled, consistent defender would be an asset to any Premier League team, and City is no different. Manager Manuel Pellegrini will also be fairly familiar with the player's abilities thanks to his time in Spain.

Pepe

Much has been said about Pepe.

He is an absolute bruiser—one of the must unabashedly physical and ill-tempered players in World Football, and his addition looks most likely given reports such as this, from the Manchester Evening News.

This would be good news for City, as he is both a stout defender with experience at the highest level and versatile enough to offer cover in midfield. In fact, in a purely defensive sense, he is probably the most skilled player with a good chance of leaving this summer.

His issue remains his penchant for cynical challenges, but that can be an asset when you're in, say, the Britannia on a cold, wet weeknight.