‘I’ve studied Rico Lewis’ playing style closely and this is why he will not leave Man City’
Rico Lewis could make a move away from Man City in the January transfer window after finding his minutes reduced under Pep Guardiola.
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that City could be open to letting the 21-year-old move on.
This comes after former City financial adviser Stefan Borson told Football Insider on 13 December that Man City could accept offers for Lewis to raise funds.
However, there is believed to be a lack of suitors for the midfielder-turned-full-back given his specialist skillset which may not lend itself well elsewhere.
As part of Guardiola‘s possession-hungry and dominant side, he is allowed to thrive around an abundance of technical players which would not be the case elsewhere.
Man City could face trouble selling Rico Lewis
Brown told Football Insider on 16 December that Man City are open to selling Lewis amid ongoing concerns about his long-term role in the side.
However, the former scout who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, insisted it may be difficult to find suitors despite his obvious quality.
“Man City have a lot of midfield players who play as auxiliary full-backs,” he told Football Insider.
“The most obvious of those is Rico Lewis, because typically he’s a midfielder, all of his attributes lend themselves to that role, but he’s always played at full-back.
“That’s fine and it works well for City when they have all of the ball and you’ve got players like Silva and Rodri around you who are all technically excellent.
“But I’m not so sure you could look at him and say, is he good in the air? Not particularly. What are his defensive qualities like? You’d be left wanting.
“So technically he’s brilliant and he’s got these technical players around him, but that doesn’t translate to many clubs in the world who would want to buy him.
“The thing is with Lewis, he fits into that category of player where he’s been moved from being a midfielder to being a full-back.
“So he doesn’t have the experience in midfield at the top level, but for any other club he wouldn’t be a full-back because he’s not quick or physical enough.
“If I was at another club who were looking at him, I’d be careful.”
Oscar Bobb could follow Lewis out of Man City
Lewis is not the only City academy product who could leave the Etihad in January, with Oscar Bobb attracting interest in a potential permanent move away.
Brown told Football Insider on 15 December that Crystal Palace are interested in signing Bobb either on loan or on a permanent deal when the window opens.
However, the concerns that surround Lewis’ long-term future away from City have also emerged about Bobb and other City youngsters.
There are reservations on Palace’s side about whether the talented wide-man would suit Glasner’s system given his education under Guardiola in a majorly different style.
The Eagles will assess the pros and cons before making a move, and have a number of other targets in mind should they opt to look elsewhere.
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