In a bad season for big-money transfers in the Premier League, maverick Frenchman has been a notable exception
By WhoScored
?There are moments I just want to shout at him and there are moments I want to kiss him.? Such is Pep Guardiola?s relationship with Rayan Cherki: part exasperation, part adoration.? Guardiola is football?s master of fine-tuning. He has polished footballers until their natural instincts have become dictated by a system of control, structure and repetition above individual sparks of brilliance. Cherki, however, feels different ? a sharp, unpredictable edge that Guardiola has left intact.
The 22-year-old, who arrived from Lyon in the summer for ?34m?, is already testing Guardiola?s philosophy of shaping players rather than accommodating them. His approach to Cherki feels very different to previous big signings. When Jack Grealish arrived from Aston Villa for ?100m in 2022, he was one of English football?s most audacious, improvisational talents ? a player unafraid of expression.
Continue reading...

More...