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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
As confirmed by the club’s official website, Manchester City have loaned Tosin Adarabioyo to Blackburn Rovers for the upcoming campaign.
What’s the word?
The promising centre-back made 36 appearances in a loan spell at West Brom last season and impressed in the heart of the defence for the Baggies.
The versatile 21-year-old helped West Brom reach the Championship play-offs, but is now set for another season in English football’s second flight with Blackburn.
A minor risk
The thinking behind sending Adarabioyo out on loan for another campaign is certainly logical; regular game-time in senior football will only help his cause in developing into a better, more complete player.
But following Vincent Kompany’s departure earlier this summer, City are left with just Aymeric Laporte, John Stones, Nicolas Otamendi and forgotten man Eliaquim Mangala as centre-back options for next season. Unless Pep Guardiola’s side plan on entering into the transfer market over the final week of the window, the Citizens are seemingly rather short on defensive cover.
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Indeed, the questionable injury history hovering over the likes of Stones and Mangala also makes it a rather risky game for City to be allowing Adarabioyo out on loan – particularly for the first-half of the campaign. The Manchester outfit’s involvement in the Carabao Cup could have seen Adarabioyo get first-team minutes with the club and perhaps more importantly for the bigger picture, allow Guardiola to rest some of his key defenders.
Instead, City will be hoping that lady luck shines on them and that the club’s remaining centre-back options enjoy an injury-free campaign. An injury to the likes of Stones or Laporte could be devastating.
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