Guardiola eyeing move for former Barça target Inigo Martinez
Barça were close to signing the defender in the summer
Manchester City need to add depth to their centre-back options
After his side have made an exceptional start to the season, still unbeaten in all competitions, Pep Guardiola still wants more and wants to strengthen. The Catalan coach knows the demands of the Premier League and the Champions League and wants reinforcements. One of those could be Inigo Martinez, according to The Sun. The centre-back’s made a good start to the season with Real Sociedad.
City’s weak spot is, without doubt, the middle of their defence. With John Stones injured, Guardiola’s had to use injury-prone Vincent Kompany and has even turned to Mangala at times. Martinez, therefore, would be a necessary addition and should adapt to the team’s style given La Real try to play in a similar way under Eusebio.
Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde has wanted Martinez in preseason but in the end the signing was not made, even though it seemed done at one point. Now former Barça coach Guardiola wants the Spain international to rejuvenate his defence and add to the competition.
With the constant injuries to Kompany and the lack of confidence in Mangala, Guardiola is practically obliged to sign a centre-back to avoid any inopportune shortages in the latter rounds of the Champions League. The injury to Stones has made the situation worse. We will see if Guardiola finally moves for the Basque defender in January, who has a buyout clause of 32 million euros.
