Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva has made no secret of the fact he’s willing to leave the Etihad Stadium. While his “come and get me” pleas have never been desperate or disruptive to his team, there is a quiet acceptance that the Portuguese fancies his chances abroad. Barcelona are inevitably front and centre of the chatter, as they continue to pull levers like Doctor Who, trying to fly their Tardis to a time when they had money and Messi.
With Pep Guardiola all but resigned to losing his influential playmaker, thoughts must turn to alternatives. The City manager could do worse than look at his opponents on Saturday lunchtime, Leicester City. The Foxes boast an attacking midfield genius of their own in James Maddison.
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Maddison has racked up eight goal involvements in ten Premier League appearances this season. These numbers are impressive in isolation, but the fact his six strikes and two assists have arrived in a struggling Leicester side make them even more encouraging. The 25-year-old was also the club’s top scorer across all competitions last season, finishing on 18 goals. These are impressive sums, especially for a midfielder.
Maddison’s efforts have not yet been enough to restore him to attack-averse England manager Gareth Southgate’s plans. Maddison’s skillset might not immediately appeal to the international boss, but there is certainly room for the Foxes star. Maddison has played in a nominal wide role this season, drifting inside to affect play in the centre, taking defenders with him as he goes. Southgate has utilised Phil Foden, another player best known as a number ten, in a similar fashion.
Even if Maddison’s play contains too much attacking devilment for Southgate, Guardiola’s City are a team where that sort of inventiveness will be seen as a positive. Silva’s brilliance is what we’re looking to replace in this hypothetical scenario. The Portuguese is actually enjoying a brilliant season in terms of assists, having garnered five from just 11 games this term. Maddison has two, but does improve on Silva’s total of two goals with six of his own.
The Premier League numbers actually compare very favourably for the pair. Maddison scored 12 goals and assisted a further eight last season. Silva by comparison scored eight and set up four. Both men played 35 games in that campaign. The 2020/21 campaign saw Maddison net eight and assist five goals while Silva scored twice and set up a further six.
Even taking into account the fact Maddison is his side’s chief creator, while Silva is a cog in a wider machine that includes the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, the statistics are impressive. Couple that with the fact that Guardiola isn’t afraid to buy English talent and the move starts to make sense. Homegrown talent like Foden, along with English buys like Kalvin Phillips, Nathan Ake and Jack Grealish have all been part of the manager’s plans. The fact the latter group have not set the world alight is irrelevant. Their troubles have not come about because of their nationality but a mixture of form and injury.
If Silva does depart, the main factor that could put City off a Maddison pursuit would be the cost. There has long been an unofficial “English tax” in the Premier League and it is something the Premier League champions are all too familiar with. It is hard to see anyone parting with the £41 million they did for Ake from Chelsea now. Grealish has often laboured under his £100 million fee while City are yet to see a return on the £45 million they dropped on Phillips. Maddison’s form means he would probably cost more than all but Grealish, meaning City could seek a cheaper, but not less effective, import from abroad.
Maddison now gets a firsthand chance to convince Guardiola of his immense talent. It won’t be easy, given City’s ability and Leicester’s struggles. But the best thrive in these circumstances and it should be a fine test of the in-form midfielder.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
