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da marjack bet： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Speaking on ESPN FC, former Liverpool star Steve Nicol has told Manchester City to sign veteran right-back Dani Alves this summer.
What did he say?
Alves is currently a free agent after leaving French giants PSG at the end of the last campaign and has been linked with a possible move to City and even Premier League rivals Arsenal.
However, Nicol insists that Alves would suit City’s style of play and that his relationship with Pep Guardiola from their Barcelona days would see the move pay off.
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He said: “For him to go to City, you’re basically looking at him to play in the FA Cup, the League Cup. There’s the connection with Pep, so he’s going to be happy in the dressing room. There won’t be any problems with it (him signing). He doesn’t want to go and play for a run of the mill team where he’ll have to defend for 80 minutes of the 90.
“He can come to Man City and play in the other side, the other half of the pitch, for most of the game. This makes a whole lot of sense. Most of it is to do with the relationship between Alves and Pep Guardiola.”
A smart move
For those who thought Alves’ career was finished, then the Brazilian’s displays at the Copa America certainly silenced the doubters. The 36-year-old was named the player of the tournament as Brazil lifted the trophy, and it undoubtedly offered encouragement that he could still perform at the highest level.
As Nicol suggests, City’s dominance of games would help Alves’ own plight. The amount of time he would spend running back towards his own goal or having to defend would be significantly smaller than were he to join Arsenal. At the Etihad, the Brazilian can continue to wreak havoc with his offensive work and would allow Guardiola to give first-choice right-back Kyle Walker a rest.
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The City boss has had to make do with the versatile Danilo as Walker’s back-up, but Alves’ arrival would give him a tried-and-trusted option that he knows perfectly well from their time together at Barcelona.
An added bonus that Nicol didn’t touch on – Alves’ scarcely believable haul of trophies at club and international level would help replace some of the winning mentality that walked out the door with Vincent Kompany. A smart move for all parties involved.