Is Ruben Dias key to Guardiola’s future at Manchester City?

Manchester City have completed the $79m signing of Benfica centre-back Ruben Dias but Sky Sports football pundit Jamie Carragher says Pep Guardiola’s future at the club depends on it being a success.

Benfica announced the deal shortly after City’s 5-2 humbling at home to Leicester City, which cast doubts over whether they will be able to reclaim their Premier League title this season after finishing 18 points behind Liverpool in 2019/20.
It was later announced by Man City on Tuesday the 23-year-old had signed a six-year deal with the English club.

Before the confirmation of Dias’ arrival, Carragher said Manchester City needed a solution at centre-back if they are to win back the league and warned that if Dias is not the answer, Guardiola could walk away from the club next summer when his contract expires.
“I think there’s really a lot at stake for Man City with this signing,” said Carragher on Monday Night Football.
“I think if this signing doesn’t work and he’s not a huge success, I don’t think City can win the league. I don’t see Pep Guardiola staying at the club next season, certainly if they don’t win the league. Maybe if they win the league he might sign a new contract. But then I think it’s debatable also.

“And that is the big fear for me for Manchester City and this Pep project, there’s so much riding on this.
“This is the guy to replace Vincent Kompany, if you like. $79m, a huge figure again, but if this doesn’t work, I think it’s possibly the end of the Pep project.”
Earlier, Carragher had analysed Guardiola’s signings at centre-back throughout his career as a manager - and argued the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss has a “blind spot” when it comes to recruiting defenders to play in the heart of his backline.
“Dias - this is the transfer that has to work for Man City,” he said. “The worry is that Pep’s history, in terms of buying centre-backs, even going back to his Barcelona days, it’s not great.

“The big worry for me would be, has Pep got a huge blind spot with centre-backs? Or, playing centre-back for Pep Guardiola, does he ask too much of you?
“When he started at Barcelona he inherits Carles Puyol and Rafael Marquez. Puyol, a legendary figure at the back, ends up being a World Cup winner. He can build around that.

“When he has to bring his own centre-back in, Gerard Pique has been fantastic but he’s a Barcelona man, knows that way of working. So yes, Pep brought him in, but he understood that way of playing.
“Martin Caceres came in, $17m, didn’t do anything. Dmytro Chygrynskiy came in, $28m. I think he started 10 league games and then he was gone.

“Guardiola then leaves and goes to Bayern Munich and inherits Jerome Boateng and Dante. Boateng goes on and becomes a World Cup winner, Champions League winner last season, so obviously a top-level defender. He brings one in, Medhi Benatia, $27m, within 12 months he’s gone.
“You then come to Manchester City. He inherits Vincent Kompany and Nicolas Otamendi. Kompany is one of the greatest centre-backs in the history of the Premier League.

“John Stones, one of his first signings, that hasn’t worked. $62m. Aymeric Laporte - it feels to me like the one signing he has made in that position that has worked for big money.
“And let’s not forget, these are all big money. These are not small signings that you’re trying to improve coaching-wise. You’re buying the ready-made deal. Nathan Ake, early days but $52m is a few quid and it hasn’t started great.”

By Jamie Carragher

The writer is a pundit on Sky Sports and a football columnist.