The release of the defender who was active as a key center back is accelerating.
British media ‘Mirror’ said on the 6th (Korean time), “Manchester City will sell Emeric Laporte (29) after signing Yosoko Gvardiol (21). “It means the release of” and “Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Aston Villa, etc. are closely watching the situation of Laporte,” it reported.
A player who was once a top center back in the English Premier League (PL) is on the verge of leaving. Laporte joined Man City from Athletic Bilbao in Spain for a transfer fee of 57 million pounds (approximately 95 billion won). He played an active role as the core of Pep Guardiola’s tactics.
Laporte has won the Premier League five times, the European Football Federation (UEFA) Champions League (UCL), the English Football Association (FA) Cup twice, and the English Carabao Cup (League Cup) three times. He played 179 games in 5 seasons for Manchester City.
From the 2022-23 season, the playing time has noticeably decreased. He fell behind Ruben Dias (26), Manuel Akanji (28) and John Stones (29) for the starting position. He even had a knee injury. As time goes by, Man City’s position went narrower. In fact, Laporte only made 12 appearances in the Premier League last season.
Although on the Man City release list, he is still a hot seller in the transfer market. Tottenham, who is in a hurry with a central defender, is also aiming for Laporte. Tottenham, under new coach Enze Postecoglu, are considering replacing their central defender ahead of the 2023-24 season. Last season, Tottenham suffered from defensive problems. Currently, Wolfsburg is in a situation where it is close to signing defender Mickey van de Pen (22).스포츠토토
North London rivals Arsenal are also keeping a close eye on Laporte’s situation. It slipped from the second half of last season and gave Man City a come-from-behind championship. Injuries to key players were devastating. The intention is to add stability to the squad by bringing in Laporte.
According to the ‘Mirror’, besides Tottenham and Arsenal, Villa and others want to sign Laporte. Man City, who recruited World Cup star Gbardiol, prioritized releasing Laporte. Brought in for 77 million pounds (approximately 128 billion won), Gbardiol plans to go out as Manchester City’s main central defender.