3 Implications Of Impending Rayan Aït-Nouri Move To Manchester City

When rumors began to fly around that Liverpool had their eyes fixed on Milos Kerkez as the long-term replacement for Andy Robertson, I was perplexed. How was Rayan Aït-Nouri not in the conversation? For me, it’s plain as day. He has been one of the Premier League’s standout fullbacks this season.

Wolves have had a turbulent season, finishing just one spot above the relegation brigade. But that shouldn’t take away from the Algerian’s exploits up and down the Wolves left flank. Only attacking Midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde has as many assists as Aït-Nouri for the Wolverhampton Wanderers this season. He finished the season as the team’s third-highest goal scorer. 

Bleeding Talent 

We’re not yet even properly into summer and the Molineux has already lost two of its star players to Premier League rivals. At the beginning of the month, Manchester United announced they had snagged Wolves talisman Matheus Cunha. The ink has barely dried on that deal, and there goes another of the Old Gold heroes to the blue side of Manchester.  If Wolves were hoping to rebuild in hopes of ending next season in the right half of the table, their task now just got that much more difficult. 

Remember that just as the season got underway, Chelsea snapped up winger Pedro Neto. The previous season saw Pep Guardiola spirit away Midfielder Matheus Nunes, who he now appears to have converted into a full-back. It will be difficult for the West Midlands club to nurse any European ambitions with such high-profile player exits every other season. 

Problem Solved For City

With Rayan Aït-Nouri taking up the left-back slot, Guardiola will finally have a specialist in the position since City suspended Benjamin Mendy in 2021. This will allow Jǒsko Gvardiol to shift back into his more natural center-back position, allowing Guardiola to get rid of one or more of the many defenders at his disposal. Aït-Nouri will be an upgrade on Gvardiol, especially in terms of what he can contribute to City’s attack. 

The Algerian is the perfect fit for Pep’s possession-heavy style of play, given how comfortable he is with the ball at his feet and his penchant for driving into the opposition 18. The player himself is keen to work with Guardiola. “Yes, everyone knows he is a great coach,” the full-back admitted in a recent interview.

Another Club World Cup Asset

If the Man City bigwigs play their cards smartly, they can have Aït-Nouri’s contract done and dusted before the June 10 Club World Cup deadline. There’s still plenty of time. With an agreement having been reached with Kevin De Bruyne’s replacement, Tijjani Reijnders, the Cityzens are poised to head to America with a strong squad. Going into the new season with a major trophy might give Manchester City the impetus they need to wrestle back the Premier League crown from Liverpool. 

Next Steps For Guardiola

The only remaining area of his squad Guardiola may feel needs to be improved after the Aït-Nouri acquisition is the goalkeeping department. Ederson has fallen out of favor and Stefan Ortega doesn’t appear to have convinced the manager that he can fill the Brazilian’s gloves. He might also want to bring in a proper right-back to take over from makeshift full-back Matheus Nunes.