Stats show Man City player who Pep Guardiola likened to Raheem Sterling can transform their season
A Man City star struggled statistically last season but he could be the centre-piece for Pep Guardiola to build around this season.
The Sky Blues endured an embarrassing 2024-25 campaign that finished trophyless, and more concerning, with questions over whether Guardiola would continue as Man City manager.
The Spaniard stuck around and the Sky Blues responded with an aggressive overhaul of their ailing squad.
Man City signed Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, and Rayan Ait-Nouri, but the Citizens have continued to struggle, failing to win in three of their opening six Premier League games.
And despite all the new recruits, stats suggest that an existing member of their squad will be the man to lead the club back to glory this term.
Jeremy Doku becoming the complete package under Pep Guardiola
Jeremy Doku joined City in the summer of 2023, and whilst his performances have been consistently electric, his lack of end product has been a persistent issue.
Last term, the Belgian winger contributed three goals and six assists in 29 Premier League games, a meagre return for a player of his calibre.
But this season, despite not yet finding the back of the net, the 23-year-old has provided three assists in the league and Doku’s improvements gained recognition from Alan Shearer.
The winger isn’t just passing the eye test or getting lucky assists; the ex-Rennes man, alongside Mohammed Kudus, is just one of two players to have more than 10 chances created and completed take-ons this season, as revealed by Squawka on X.
Additionally, Doku is showing a willingness to take risks and put himself in dangerous areas.
The winger is the only City player to have more than 20 touches in the opposition’s box in a Premier League game during the Guardiola era.
His 21 touches in Burnley‘s area on Saturday, 27 September marked the third time he has done so in a sky blue shirt.
Doku can revive Man City but he needs to add goals to his game
The one thing missing from Doku’s game is goals. Guardiola likened the young winger to Chelsea outcast Raheem Sterling and former City star Leroy Sane when he first joined the club [Man City].
But the difference between the pair lies in their output. During three seasons in Manchester, the German winger netted 25 Premier League goals and scored 39 in all competitions.
Sterling, meanwhile, netted double digits in the Premier League in five out of his seven seasons at the club, scoring 31 in all competitions in the 2019-20 campaign.
Doku is young and clearly improving, and whilst Sterling became a danger during his time at the club, he too started slowly.
If the Belgium international can start scoring regularly and lighten Erling Haaland‘s load in front of goal, City will undoubtedly return to the precipice of English football.