What’s in the news?
According to BBC, [team 9] have agreed on a deal to sign defender [player 162536] from [team 605] for £65m. City’s Argentine center-half [player 1822] will go the opposite way for about £13.7m in an independent transfer.
According to Sky Sports, The deal for Dias is worth an initial £62m, with a further £3m on add-ons, and was confirmed in the Portuguese club’s statement. In the same statement, Otamendi’s deal was also announced.
Ruben Dias’s performances and key stats
Ruben Dias has been an excellent player for Benfica in the [league 462]. His standout performance came on international duty when he helped [team 18701] beat the [team 18694] in the [league 1538] final. The 23-year-old was awarded MOTM for his outstanding display in the final.
He made an excellent 7 clearances in the game. Dias also recorded an 89.4% accuracy rate in his passing and completed 4 long balls. He also won 5 duels in that game. His side ended up winning the tournament, and his contributions were crucial.
Since the start of the 2019/20 league season, Dias has completed the most passes in the league (2058). He also leads the table for most progressive passes (934). The 23-year-old played the most amount of passes into the final third as well (324). Dias has also got an excellent passing range, which is vital to play under [coach 455361]. The defender completed the most amount of passes to the right-wing (432). He also leads the table for winning possession in the final third (105).
Have Manchester City made the right decision?
It is quite clear that City’s primary target was [team 597]’s [player 61806], but they could not match his price tag. They then turned their attention towards [team 2930]’s [player 130142]. However, for similar reasons, City decided against this move. City also enquired for [team 42]’s [player 32574], but [coach 896460]’s side were reluctant to let their star man depart.
This proves that City are already out of options and they are going for a defender in desperation. Dias is not a bad defender, but he’s also not at the level of someone like a Koulibaly or a Skriniar. The Portuguese also lacks experience at this level, which can be crucial as players find it challenging to adapt to the Premier League‘s high physicality.
However, his stats show that he has got quality. With the defenders that City currently have, it will be an undoubted upgrade. Maybe a move for Skriniar would have been better, but Dias could also prove worthy. Time will tell if its a wise move or not but it’s a risk worth taking.
