Manchester City

Manchester City

Premier League • England

Manchester City secure signing of Championship wonderkid as Guardiola plots future domination

Man City manager Pep Guardiola

Manchester City will sign Cardiff City youngster Lewys Benjamin with the player set for a medical, according to Fabrizio Romano. 

The Wales under-17 international is touted to become a top player in the future and City have beaten several high-profile clubs to the goalkeeper’s signature.

Pep Guardiola has brought in several young talents over the past couple of years, so he is clearly planning for the future.

Romano broke the news that City were chasing Benjamin on deadline day, but it now seems that a deal has been struck between the Premier League champions and Cardiff.

On Twitter, he said on Friday: “Cardiff City talent Lewys Benjamin, undergoing medical tests and now set to sign with Manchester City as new Academy goalkeeper.

“Wales U17 international, Benjamin was on the list of many UK clubs but he said yes to the Man City project.”

It’s unlikely we’ll see Benjamin between the sticks in the Premier League any time soon, but the young shot-stopper certainly has a bright future ahead of him.

The Welshman has been a regular in Cardiff’s under-16 side this season and follows Gabriel Biancheri out the door after he reportedly sealed a move to Manchester United.

This will come as a blow to Bluebirds fans. Cardiff have also seen heavy interest in two other youngsters: Isaak Davies and Ruben Colwill, so they will hope to be able to keep hold of them.

Guardiola strategy clear after another young addition

As mentioned, Manchester City have brought in several young talents recently, as Guardiola looks to dominate the Premier League for many years to come.

In January, they brought in highly-rated 20-year-old Maximo Perrone from Argentinian side Velez Sarsfield for a fee of £8.2m.

Guardiola reportedly contacted former Liverpool and Barcelona player Javier Mascherano for advice regarding the midfielder, who gave Perrone a sparkling reference before the deal was completed.

City also have plenty of young talents already among their ranks, too. Cole Palmer broke onto the scene last season, with the 20-year-old showing a lot of promise.

Palmer’s fine performances have earned him nine appearances in the Premier League so far this season.

Another young player who has broken onto the scene recently is right-back Rico Lewis, who will have the tall order of filling in for Joao Cancelo after the Portugal international sealed a shock move to Bayern Munich last month. 

The 18-year-old has featured eight times in the Premier League this season, largely coming off the bench, but it seems he will be an important asset for Guardiola in the second half of the campaign.

Indeed, Benjamin’s arrival should bring excitement to City fans, as like Perrone, Palmer and Lewis, he has the potential to become a quality player in the future.

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