MANY Dream Team gaffers will still be reeling from the revelation that Joao Cancelo’s (£6m) time at Manchester City is at an end.
The Portuguese full-back is joining Bayern Munich on loan with a view to a permanent switch in the summer following a disagreement with Pep Guardiola.
It wasn’t that long ago that the 28-year-old was viewed as one of the most important figures at the Etihad and among the best players in in world football in his position.
Cancelo has amassed mountains of Dream Team points in the last three years and many managers, particularly those who support the defending Premier League champions, will be gutted to see him leave.
A sour end to a happy marriagegetty
As the old saying goes: when God closes a door, he opens a window.
Whether Man City bring in a new recruit before the transfer window closes remains to be seen but at this stage it seems likely that Nathan Ake (£3.7m) will be first-choice left-back for the remainder of the season.
The Dutchman has fulfilled the role a few times already this term and popped up in a Cancelo-esque area last Friday night to combine with Jack Grealish (£3.7m) for City’s winner against Arsenal in the FA Cup.
Factor in a clean sheet plus the Star Man award and Ake has pocketed a very handy 18 points in Game Week 20.
No defender has earned more points this Game Week which, given the developments in the transfer market, is immaculate timing.
A well-timed winner
Ake has 76 points overall but perhaps more pertinently, he averages 3.6 points-per-game.
To put that into context, that’s more than Lisandro Martinez (£4.4m), Luke Shaw (£3.8m), William Saliba (£3.5m), John Stones (£5.2m) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (£4.1m).
If the ex-Bournemouth defender is to be a first-team regular for the remainder of the campaign then he is reasonably priced at £3.7m right now – although expect that to rise this Friday after his 18-point haul.
He’s helpfully cheaper than the aforementioned Stones, Ruben Dias (£5.9m) and Aymeric Laporte (£4.6m).
Go Dutch!
Generally speaking, Man City’s defence has not provided as many points as usual this season but most gaffers would still back them to register their fair share of clean sheets, especially of presented with a favourable run of fixtures.
Dream Team may be losing one of its superstars in Cancelo but the best managers always look for an opportunity in the wake of a problem and Ake may well fit the bill for those in need of a mid-range defender.