Rayan Cherki

Mathis Rayan Cherki



Current Club: Manchester City.

Previous Clubs: Olympique Lyonnais, AS Saint-Priest.

Loan Clubs: N/A.





International: France 2 caps 1 goal.

Trophies Won: Olympic silver medal 2024.





Cherki is a player that, in some respects, reminds me of Paul Pogba. If you just watched highlight reels, you could be forgiven for thinking that either player are clearly the best player in the league they play in at the time. Cherki is a better player, even in terms of his highlights, which showcase the brilliance of his technique and his almost peerless skill in the current game.



In terms of raw technique and skill, Cherki is currently probably the number one player in European football. He does things with the ball that make you just want to stand and applaud. There is no doubt that he will have moments that will get people off their seat and Cherki will no doubt bring people in just to watch him. Which might help the Etihad Stadium finally stop looking so empty every week!



On top of the skill and technique, Cherki is also fast, particularly his acceleration, which can absolutely leave defenders for dead. He can produce a bit of skill to beat someone and be gone before they have time to even realise he has beaten them. And he is strong, very strong, despite looking quite lightweight in physique. He uses that strength extremely well when dribbling with the ball, to hold players off and allow him to twist and turn and create space for himself.



He is more than just a dribbler though, he is a very composed finisher when in on goal, he can place the ball from distance as well and is an dead-ball specialist. Cherki's crossing and passing are excellent as well, particularly his through-balls into the forwards. Despite being heavily left-footed, he is happy to use either foot to shoot or cross the ball, making him a tough player to defend against.



But, despite all that, he has that same problem Pogba had - laziness when him or his team do not have the ball. Like his compatriot, Cherki is only interested in playing with the ball, he has no interest in defending and is not keen on tracking back when necessary. That is not something Pep Guardiola usually puts up with in his players, so it will be interesting to see if he can get some effort out of Cherki to help out the team.



If Guardiola can get some workrate out of his new signing, even if it is just to get back into position when the team loses the ball, then Cherki will be a fantastic addition to the side. It would be a signing that would put them immediately back up among the title challengers, that bit of magic and creativity they were missing in last season's underwhelming performances. If not, the Frenchman will still be an exciting new star to bring the fans some joy watching him pulling out tricks and moments of skill.



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