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City Transfer Target Evaluation — Part 2 (Left-Back)

By Taras Tataryn

Mendy has really made a name for himself following some great Champions League performances. One performance in particular comes to mind...
Mendy has really made a name for himself following some great Champions League performances. One performance in particular comes to mind... /
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Juan Bernat

Rating: 8.2/10

Likelihood: 3.5/5

MUNICH, GERMANY – MAY 06: Juan Bernat (L) of FC Bayern Muenchen challenges Marcel Heller of SV Darmstadt during the Bundesliga match between Bayern Muenchen and SV Darmstadt 98 at Allianz Arena on May 6, 2017 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Lennart Preiss/Bongarts/Getty Images)
MUNICH, GERMANY – MAY 06: Juan Bernat (L) of FC Bayern Muenchen challenges Marcel Heller of SV Darmstadt during the Bundesliga match between Bayern Muenchen and SV Darmstadt 98 at Allianz Arena on May 6, 2017 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Lennart Preiss/Bongarts/Getty Images) /

Juan Bernat would certainly be a Guardiola signing. He is agile, likes to push forward and take on opposing defenders, and is very confident on the ball. Unfortunately, Bernat is behind in the pecking order as the world-class David Alaba is in front of him. Nonetheless, Bayern Munchen has been fortunate to have such a great back-up.

Back when Bayern signed Bernat in 2015, Bleacher Report ran an article describing how Bernat was the “find of the season” and that Guardiola had been tracking the (at the time) 22-year-old heavily. That next season Bernat worked very hard and eventually made some appearances for the first team flashing his exceptional speed, passing and dribbling ability, who also has the knack to score.

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Rating Explanation:

Think of him as a Bundesliga version of Jordi Alba — they have similar stature and qualities. To me, there are very few differences between the two. However, stats show that Bernat is far superior. For instance, per 90 minutes, he creates 1.2 chances to Alba’s 1, intercepts the ball 2.3 times to Alba’s 1.3 and is far superior in Squawka’s Defense Score (Squawka Comparison Matrix).

All in all, in comparison to the rest of the targets, I think Bernat is just as technical. However, the lack of strength and tackling ability is why I rate him at an 8.2.

Likelihood: 

Bernat lacks the height and stature of the other left-backs in this list but is a quality player who has played under Pep before. If Mendy and Sandro fall through, don’t be surprised that Bernat comes to City. Moreover, Bayhashave a world-class back in David Alaba who isn’t going to leave anytime soon. They surely would let Bernat loose for the right price. The likelihood score I give (3.5) is more of how far down the pecking order he is on our wishing list. If he were at the top, I’m sure we would be able to get him.

Strengths:

  • Passing accuracy
  • Dribbling and ball retention
  • Pace

Weaknesses:

  • Lack of strength + aerial duels
  • Tackling