After agreeing a £65.4m move to Barcelona, how will Rodri fit in at Camp Nou and does this allow for Enzo Fernandes to go to City?

The Deal

    After a failed bid, Manchester City and Barcelona have agreed a £65.4m move for star midfielder Rodri. The World Cup winner is set to sign a 4 year deal keeping him in Spain until June 2030. He has won everything these is to win at City, including 4 Premier Leaagues, 2 FA Cup's, 3 EFL Cups, 1 Champions League, 1 Super Cup and 1 Club World Cup; not to mention that he is a European and World Champion with Spain.

What will he bring to Barcelona?

    Rodri will bring world class tactical discipline, physical presence land elite tempo control to the Spanish Champions. He frequently logs the most touches and passes in Europe and keeps the play moving with short passes and combines this with long balls that can break defensive lines with ease. At 6'3, the Spaniard provides a big physical presence and uses this to his advantage by effortlessly shielding the ball and win aerial duels easily. This attribute makes him press resistant hard hard to tackle. Despite his main job being providing defensive stability, Rodri is frequently seen making late box runs and taking long range shots. These contribute, or score goals and every goal matters for title contenders like Barcelona and can be the difference between a win and a draw. 

How does he fit in in Hansi Flick's system?

    As a defensive midfielder, Rodri will mainly be anchoring the double pivot in Hansi Flick's 4-2-3-1 formation, shielding the centre backs and orchestrating play, allowing for his counterpart, like Pedri or Frankie de Jong, to push forward. Also, he limits vulnerability in defensive transitions. Flick primarily utilises offside traps but if these are beaten, Rodri can protect the defense from being attacked and breaks up play. Barcelona tend to try and lump it forward to creative outlets on the wing like Lamine Yamal, the addition of Rodri enables for more of a systematic progession when attacking and can slow down the game when needed. He looks like a good fit in Hansi Flick's system and can really aid the team's midfield.

How does this impact the Enzo Fernandez to Man City move?

    This move can play a paramount role in the Enzo Fernandez to Man City saga as a domino effect can be triggered by this. Firstly, it provides the Citizens with immediate transfer funds to sign the Argentinian. The departure of Rodri means that there will be a gaping whole to fill. Enzo Fernandez will fill that hole perfectly and will add more attacking flair to the City midfield. It also initiates a bidding war between City and Real Madrid with Chelsea valuing Enzo Fernandez at £120m. This transfer can put to bed Chelsea 's bid to control the deal taking their 5pm deadline last Friday(14/08) out the window, this will tempt the Chelsea hierarchy with the high price tag and Fernandez is keen to reunite with his former manager but a move to Real Madrid is a tempting move for anyone.

Final Words