Joe Cole believes Manchester City will eventually sign Chelsea midfielder Enzo as they look to replace Rodri following the Ballon d’Or winner’s transfer to Barcelona.
Cole says replacing Rodri would be one of the most difficult challenges facing any club in world football, with the Spain midfielder regarded as a uniquely influential player.
The former England international expects the transfer story involving Enzo to continue because the player wants to leave Chelsea and several clubs are interested in signing him. In Cole’s view, the key issue is now whether the clubs can agree on the financial terms.
“It’s really hard to replace a player like that. Rodri is one of the greatest players in Premier League history, he’s a very unique player. The Enzo transfer story will definitely continue because the situation now is that the player wants to leave and multiple clubs want him. Both sides have made their intentions clear, so in my opinion, it’s now just a matter of money.
“Manchester City always finds a way to get money, right? As for where their money comes from, that’s for the FA and others to worry about!”
Manchester City have regularly been able to secure the players they target, according to Cole, who believes Enzo would be well suited to the responsibility of succeeding Rodri.
However, Cole also warned that replacing the former Manchester City midfielder may require more than one player. He suggested that even the combination of top-level midfielders such as Anderson and Enzo might be needed to compensate for the contribution Rodri made.
“But Manchester City usually gets the players they want, and Enzo is a very good player. I think he is very suitable for this task. To replace Rodri, you need two players, even top players like Anderson and Enzo. I personally think this deal will eventually happen.”
Rodri’s departure to Barcelona has therefore left Manchester City with a major gap to address, while Enzo has emerged as Cole’s preferred candidate to help fill it. The former Chelsea player believes the combination of the player’s desire to move and the interest from multiple clubs means negotiations are likely to remain in the spotlight.
Cole’s assessment is that the final outcome will be determined by the money involved, but he expects Manchester City to find a way to complete the deal eventually.
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