Guardiola explains reasoning for Akanji switch
In a press conference, Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola explained why the club made a move for the Dortmund defender at the last second.
Pep Guardiola clarified why the English club signed Dortmund's Manuel Akanji for €17.5 million to end the summer transfer window:
"We had a chance to bring someone with one year left on his deal. He is fast and really good in the buildup. We saw this when we faced Dortmund three seasons ago. We are glad he is here."
City have a brutal schedule with an endless list of fixtures ahead. Aymeric Laporte is out with a long-term injury, while the status of Nathan Ake is unclear. This leaves John Stones and Ruben Dias as the only two pure center-backs currently available.
He added that, "In view of our schedule, we could not live with only two central defenders."