Manchester City are now leading the race for a Manchester United and Newcastle United target, and could open talks in the near future.

Man City looking to strengthen defence after late blow at Arsenal

Man City came agonisingly close to making a real statement by winning at the Emirates Stadium, but Gabriel Martinelli’s goal ensured the spoils were shared, despite Pep Guardiola adapting his tactics significantly.

The City boss employed a very defensive system, which so nearly got the job done against the Gunners, with Gary Neville claiming a similar game plan has never been implemented by Pep before.

Neville said: “I thought that it might be hard to create moments but how it played out, obviously City getting the early goal and then Pep resorting to a way of playing that I’ve never seen before, but I really liked it.

“It wasn’t a criticism when I was talking during the game, I really enjoyed the fact that he went to 5-4-1.”

With Rayan Ait-Nouri sidelined due to injury, Nico O’Reilly was given the nod at left-back, and the 20-year-old put in a solid performance, making six clearances and two tackles to keep Arsenal at bay.

However, according to a report from Caught Offside, Man City have also now joined the race for a new left-back, having identified Eintracht Frankfurt’s Nathaniel Brown as a transfer target.

Brown is also of interest to Newcastle, Man United and Arsenal, but City are leading the race for his signature, alongside Arsenal, with the two potential Premier League title rivals expected to open talks in the near future.

Brown may be unnecessary signing for Man City

There are question marks over whether the left-back is a necessary signing, given that Pep already has plenty of options at left-back, with Ait-Nouri and O’Reilly on the books, and the latter put in an impressive display against the Gunners.

That said, the German defender has put in some impressive performances for Frankfurt, having caught the eye of scout Ben Mattinson.

The Frankfurt star is also a very well-rounded defender, capable of influencing the game at both ends of the pitch, as showcased by the number of tackles, assists and non-penalty goals he’s averaged over the past year.

Statistic

Average per 90

Non-penalty goals

0.14 (93rd percentile)

Assists

0.25 (94th percentile)

Tackles

3.18 (96th percentile)

Brown clearly has the talent to be a success at the Etihad Stadium, but with Pep repeatedly making it clear he wants to work with a smaller squad, the City boss probably doesn’t need to sign another left-back.