Paul Merson slams £50m transfer deadline day 'panic buy' who 'will not play'

Premier League clubs scrambled astir for deals connected the last time of the wintertime transportation model but Paul Merson has been near unconvinced by Manchester City’s £50m signing of Nico Gonzalez

Paul Merson has questioned Manchester City’s big-money determination for Nico Gonzalez, claiming Pep Guardiola’s broadside person ‘panicked’.

The reigning Premier League champions person spent heavy this model - Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis each arriving for large fees. City’s spending looks acceptable proceed connected deadline time with a £50m swoop for Porto prima Nico Gonzalez.

The Spaniard is owed to determination to the Etihad Stadium and arrives astatine a cleanable time, with Rodri inactive recovering from his superior genu injury. But Merson is not wholly convinced and believes Gonzalez volition conscionable go an costly squad filler.

Speaking connected Sky Sports, helium said: "I've not seen this lad play truthful don't cognize excessively overmuch astir him. But they request players successful midfield. A batch of radical accidental it's not conscionable Rodri. It is conscionable Rodri.

“Rodri sees danger, Rodri is disciplined, Rodri stays successful the centre, helium gets guardant and sits backmost and protects the backline arsenic well, and helium passes the shot done the enactment precise quickly.

"I similar Kovacic, but helium volition spell implicit and dribble with the shot and radical extremity up each retired of position. Him and Bernardo Silva get conscionable ruined successful the past 30 minutes astatine Arsenal. If you instrumentality distant the 30 minutes and archetypal 20, City were precise bully astatine Arsenal.

“It was a bully distant performance. But that takes distant the archetypal 20 minutes erstwhile they could person been retired of the game, and the past 30 minutes - truthful it's not overmuch successful betwixt that.

"The contented is that Gonzalez comes successful for £50m, arsenic soon arsenic Rodri's acceptable that's it. I don't deliberation helium plays. Unless you play them unneurotic and I don't deliberation you request to. This is the occupation with wages and buying players, you hide that by the commencement of adjacent season, this feline is sitting connected the seat with large money.

Will Nico Gonzalez beryllium a bully signing for Man City? Share your thoughts successful the comments below

“You past look astatine McAtee with a superb young aboriginal and they volition person to merchantability him for the just play rules. It's a knock-on effect. If they bargain Gonzalez, they indispensable beryllium panicking severely to get into the apical four."

Gonzalez, a Spanish under-21 international, has shone for Porto this season. He has scored 7 goals and provided a further six assists successful each competitions for the Portuguese giants.

But Merson’s interest could perchance travel to fruition sooner alternatively than aboriginal aft City dropped a hint astir Rodri’s comeback. Despite his semipermanent injury, the midfielder is acceptable to beryllium registered for the Champions League knockout rounds.

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