Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher believes Manchester City rejected the chance to sign James Maddison because he isn’t a “multi-faceted” attacker.

The 26-year-old has been in impressive form since making the £40m move to Tottenham in the summer, scoring twice and providing 4 assists in only 7 appearances for his new club. Writing in his column for The Telegraph, Carragher says City, along with Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, were not convinced that Maddison could perform well in their teams:

“My suspicion is that Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Mikel Arteta and Mauricio Pochettino took a look at Maddison and were swayed more by what he does not do more than his qualities. In their best sides, Guardiola and Klopp expect multi-faceted attacking players or midfielders to assume the responsibility of those who once placed themselves just behind the main striker.”

“Maddison is not the quickest, nor does he stand out as someone who will trigger a high-pressing game. He does not have the natural athleticism of a No.8, and he is less effective playing as a wide attacker cutting inside. He shines knitting midfield and attack, deceptively quick in possession and technically superb at quickly seeing and delivering a defence-splitting pass.”

City were not in the market to sign a player like Maddison

While you cannot argue with Maddison’s numbers at the start of the season, it’s hard to see where he would have fit in if he had made the move to the Etihad instead.

Maddison’s strengths lie in playing as the central playmaker, which is not a position that manager Pep Guardiola is short of options in. Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva can all be deployed in that role if required.

Carragher is right that Guardiola prefers more athletic players

The arrivals of Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes in the summer demonstrate the manager’s preference for midfielders who can cover every blade of grass.

Guardiola is not averse to recruiting players with different profiles but he knows that specific characteristics are needed to produce the type of football that has brought him so much success.

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