Who could Man City sign to replace injured Rodri?

Pep Guardiola has a problem.

The Manchester City manager says midfielder Rodri is going to be out “for a long time” with the knee ligament damage he suffered in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal.

How long exactly he will be missing for remains unknown, with City saying further tests are needed for an exact prognosis on his right knee.

But the City boss needs a solution, because Rodri’s influence at the club is immense.

City have lost just 11% of their games with him in the side compared to 24% without him since his debut in 2019.

The solution for the next few months will have to be found internally, with the likes of Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gundogan, John Stones and Rico Lewis possible alternatives in the defensive midfield role, but should his absence stretch into 2025, Guardiola could be tempted to look externally come January.

Recalling Kalvin Phillips from a loan spell at Ipswich once the transfer window opens is one option, but who else could Guardiola sign to replace his often-dubbed ‘irreplaceable’ midfielder?

When looking at a number of metrics from last season, data provider Opta found Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde were among the midfielders most similar to Rodri from Europe’s top leagues.

But, with these two surely not available, what other options are there?

(The statistics in the graphic below in each of the metrics are averages per match)

With the exception of Declan Rice, whose signature City were beaten to by Arsenal, Bayern Munich’s Goretzka is the player Opta found to be most similar to Rodri.

The 29-year-old midfielder is currently out of favour at the Bundesliga club but has been one of their most consistent performers since signing in 2018.

When comparing several metrics from last season, Opta found the Germany midfielder to be most like Rodri in possession and with his attacking threat, although he didn’t compare as favourably defensively.

Not an orthodox defensive midfielder, Goretzka is most effective as a box-to-box midfielder because of his energetic pressing.

How do you replace Rodri? One answer is to do what Spain did in the summer.

When the midfielder was taken off at half-time in the Euro 2024 final against England, many Three Lions fans expected their opponents to be severely weakened.

Step forward Zubimendi. The 25-year-old came on and controlled the midfield – like Rodri had been doing – as Spain went on to lift the trophy.

Liverpool tried to sign the player in the summer, after being told he wanted to leave his boyhood club, but were ultimately unsuccessful as Real Sociedad persuaded Zubimendi to stay.

Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Arsenal are all reported to have shown interest in the past and it would be no surprise to see Guardiola make his move come January.

It has been reported in Spain he has a £51.5m release clause and, despite a poor start to the La Liga season for Sociedad, City could well have plenty of competition.

However, while many consider Zubimendi to be the obvious solution, when comparing a number of metrics with the other players below, he doesn’t come out top in any category.

The 20-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise from Championship side Blackburn Rovers to become one of English football’s most highly rated youngsters.

Wharton has been utilised as a defensive midfielder for Crystal Palace but is also capable of playing in a more attacking role.

Out of the six players listed here, Wharton’s average tackles per league game (3.31) and average interceptions (1.38) were the second highest, suggesting he could add the solidity City will miss in Rodri’s absence.

Wharton, who was an unused member of England’s Euro 2024 squad, was linked with the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester Utd in the summer, having only signed for the Eagles in January.

His signature would not be cheap though, with young English talent always commanding a premium price.

Newcastle’s Brazil midfielder was linked with City in the summer but it was reported a £100m release clause put the defending champions off his signature.

With Rodri now out, could City be tempted to renew any interest, and more seriously this time?

The 26-year-old hasn’t been hugely impressive at the start of this season but has been a big influence at the heart of Newcastle’s midfield since signing from Lyon in 2022.

Guimaraes came out second in terms of league duels won (7.88) when compared with the other players in this list – including Rodri – last season.

Newcastle would be very reluctant to let their midfielder go though.

A long-term Manchester United target, could City be tempted to rival their neighbours for his signature?

De Jong appears settled at Barcelona, but the club’s well-documented financial issues would suggest most of their players are available at the right price.

He has played as a centre-back and defensive midfielder but has been utilised in a more creative role often at Barca.

He has been out of action since April with an ankle injury, albeit he is now back in training, with a return date still unknown.

Perhaps the most unlikely name of the list.

The former Norwich midfielder has impressed since signing for Ligue 1 Brest in 2022 and was named in the league’s team of the season last time round.

His steely defensive displays helped Brest to third in Ligue 1 and a spot in the Champions League for the first time in their history.

With so much attacking and creative talent already in his squad, should Guardiola want a more defensive solution to Rodri, Lees-Melou could well be his man.

The 31-year-old was found to be the fourth-most similar to Rodri by Opta and produced the highest amount of interceptions in Ligue 1 last season.

He also ranked higher than any player on this list last season – including Rodri – in terms of tackles made, duals won, interceptions and possession won.