Dias may fit the bill to fill defensive gap
RUBEN DIAS has always been a name not too far from City in the gossip columns, but strangely not this summer.
Instead, with City crying out for a new leader in defence, Kalidou Koulibaly was the prime target – and still is. With negotiations for the Napoli defender stalling, though, two different names have emerged in the last couple of weeks: Sevilla’s Jules Kounde and Benfica’s Ruben Dias.
Interestingly, neither fit the same profile as Koulibaly, with Dias 23 years old and Kounde 21 years old. They have some experience in a top European league and also in UEFA competition, but nowhere near as much as Koulibaly.
And the prices rumoured to be associated with each defender don’t show much of an advantage to one particular individual, even if Koulibaly might remain the most expensive of the trio.
So a look into their records last season might explain City’s interest in Dias and Kounde.
Of the three, Koulibaly has a stronger record in tackles, interceptions and blocks, but Dias who prevails over the other two when it comes to clearances (3.1 per game). City’s defenders are not just tasked with doing the basics, though, with passing in tight spaces essential to clear up opposition attacks and set City’s forwards up on their own offensive moves.
Again, Koulibaly comes out on top with most average passes per game (67.4) and highest pass success rate (91.4 per cent). It’s worth noting, though, that Dias is not that far behind on either metric.
And while Kounde’s passing stats in the league are well below what City would demand of him (49.9 per game), his average from last season’s Europa League campaign is much more promising, with 73.1 passes per game at a 92.9 success rate.
Kounde averages the most dribbles (0.6 per game), but Dias is dispossessed the least.
Perhaps the most surprising statistic when comparing the trio is their success in the air – an area City have arguably failed to effectively command since Vincent Kompany left.
Koulibaly is the tallest, but he is beaten by Dias and Kounde in this area. Kounde who comes out best in this regard, with 3.2 aerial duels won per game at a 62 per cent success rate. Dias averages 2.6 at 60 per cent, and Koulibaly is third with two duels won at 55 per cent.
So while Koulibaly’s defensive traits underscore why he is City’s main target, Dias emerges as a strong allrounder when compared with the other two targets.
For all the metrics mentioned above, Dias is either top or second in every one aside from dribbles per game.
He’s also older and taller than Kounde, with more Champions League experience. At 23, he is still on the young side but is much more of a longterm option than Koulibaly – and potentially cheaper.
It’s easy to see the appeal of Koulibaly as a direct replacement for Kompany. If he is not available at the price City want, however, maybe Dias is the sensible option.