Sami Khedira Transfer Would Make Perfect Sense for Manchester City

It’s not easy being a Manchester City central midfielder at the moment, and for far more reasons than just an unsatisfactory birthday cake.

Yaya Toure has seen his performances analysed like few others in the opening months of this season, and he won’t have liked what he’s seen and heard. Fernandinho seems to have something of a World Cup hangover, and his near namesake Fernando has had a somewhat clumsy beginning to life in English football, conceding possession and picking up yellow cards all too frequently.

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It is far too soon to panic, obviously.

Despite their annual Champions League troubles, City are still well-placed in the Premier League and look primed to go through to the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup, the first competition they won last season. However, given Chelsea’s reinvention and Toure’s struggles, talk of revolutionising the team is inevitable, and it is focusing on the centre.

It was interesting to note, then, that the “what the papers say” section of City’s official website carried a Daily Star report from Alex Harris, stating there is interest in the German World Cup winner Sami Khedira on Wednesday morning.

Admittedly, the report claimed that the Premier League champions would face competition from Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United in the battle for the 27-year-old who has become something of a spare part at Real Madrid this season, but if they were to offer up enough cash then that is battle that City would win.

And what a player they’d be getting.

Khedira might be struggling for minutes in Madrid following the signing of his German international teammate Toni Kroos, but it is no disgrace to be overlooked in favour of him.

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Minds are cast back to the imperious displays that both put in during Germany’s unforgettable 7-1 hammering of Brazil in the summer, when the pair scored three times between them inside five minutes and ran the midfield with performances of dynamism and power. It was a huge shame when Khedira was forced to miss the final through injury.

He is every inch the modern midfielder, and the sort of player that would slot into the City side with ease, no doubt linking up well with the likes of David Silva and Samir Nasri and breaking from midfield to support Sergio Aguero.

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Arsenal were believed to have held the strongest interest in him in the summer, as per Gerard Meagher of The Guardian. But as so often with the Gunners, there appeared to be issues in getting the move over the line. Should Manuel Pellegrini now swoop it would be another body blow for Arsene Wenger in a season which already looks troublesome for the Frenchman because he failed to strengthen sufficiently in defence and midfield.

Given Manchester United’s recent acquisitions, it would be no surprise if they were to offer up the money required to sign Khedira, but Louis van Gaal appears to be willing to give Marouane Fellaini a second chance at Old Trafford, while Daley Blind is also very much the manager’s man.

Over at Liverpool, the Reds are desperate to find a replacement for Steven Gerrard, but Khedira can hardly have been impressed by what he saw when he played for the final 15 minutes in Real Madrid’s 3-0 win at Anfield last week. Uncertainty reigns there, while money also counts against them.

All of which leaves Chelsea as the obvious and most likely competition for Khedira’s signature, with Jose Mourinho knowing the player well from their time together at Real Madrid. They have the excellent Nemanja Matic in midfield and, of course, Cesc Fabregas, but as they’ve shown in the past they aren’t afraid to stockpile players.

Any bidding war is sure to be a fierce one, and Chelsea also have the London factor on their side, but City have to realise that this is a player who can answer their midfield concerns for the next few years. Khedira really is that good.

A move in January should be encouraged, regardless of what happens to Toure, Fernandinho and Fernando between now and then. City could end up regretting it if they don’t.