Better than Walker: Man City must rue selling amazing star for just £300k
There were plenty of incomings at Manchester City during the January transfer window. They made two defensive reinforcements, signing Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens and young Brazilian defender Vitor Reis from Palmeiras.
There was also one addition in the midfield, with City signing Nico Gonzalez from FC Porto on deadline day, to help strengthen his options in the middle of the park. Pep Guardiola’s side also added depth in attacking areas, signing Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt.
No one left the Etihad Stadium permanently in January, although there were a few outgoings on loan. They were mainly youngsters, which included former Luton Town loanee Issa Kabore. However, the notable loan exit was Kyle Walker.
Why Kyle Walker left City
On the whole, it has been a really tough season for the England international, who struggled for his best form in a City shirt. He played 18 times across all competitions but looked like a shadow of his former self.
A low point of the season for the former City skipper was his clash with Rasmus Hojlund during the Manchester Derby. There was a coming together between the pair, with Walker going down clutching his head despite minimal, if any, contact. Roy Keane said he was “embarrassed” for the City number two.
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Walker moved to AC Milan in January, on loan with an option to buy him in the summer for just £4.2m. He has made two appearances so far, with his first Serie A game coming in the Milan derby against Inter.
Of course, it remains to be seen if the Rossoneri activate the optional buy clause. They certainly would not be breaking the bank with just £4.2m, and it is not really an amount that City can reinvest into a replacement.
With that being said, they might wish they had kept a former academy star who is now worth millions more than their former captain and could have been his replacement,
The player City should not have sold
The player in question here is Bayer Leverkusen star Jeremie Frimpong. The 24-year-old has been simply sensational under Xabi Alonso but was once a key member of City’s academy sides as a youngster.
The Dutchman played for City’s under-18s, under-19s, and under-21s before moving from the Etihad Stadium to Scottish giants Celtic. The Glaswegian side paid a reported £300k, and he spent two seasons at Celtic Park before his move to Germany.
At Leverkusen, he has been simply sensational and has quickly proven that he’s now a far more complete player than the aforementioned Walker. The Dutchman, who has operated as a right-wing in possession for much of his time in the Bundesliga, has played 174 times, scoring 28 goals and grabbing 43 assists.
This term, his form has been no different. The former City academy star has three goals and 11 assists in 32 games for the club. That includes an impressive five assists in eight Champions League games, with two of those coming in a 4-0 away win to Feyenoord.
Given his imperious form, it might not be a surprise to learn that Frimpong is now incredibly highly valued according to CIES Football Observatory. He is worth £69.6m, with just two of his club teammates, Florian Wortz and Piero Hincapie, valued higher. That is a remarkable 1557.14% increase to the buy clause in Walker’s loan deal with Milan.
Looking back on it, perhaps the Cityzens regret letting Frimpong leave. Although he is an extremely attacking wing-back, he is a “cheat code”, according to football scout Antonio Mango. Given the impact he has had on Leverkusen’s side, he could have been a huge difference-maker for City.
Alas, there is nothing Guardiola can do about the sale of Frimpong now. He could have been a big asset, and perhaps the Citizens regret moving him on, especially given how much he is worth compared to Walker.
