Emmanuel Petit believes Manchester City have made a “clever” decision to recruit Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov.
Some have suggested that the 20-year-old may be a panic signing due to the club’s defensive problems but, speaking exclusively to Man City News on behalf of Casino Utan Spelpaus, Petit said that the centre-back has all the attributes needed to be a “nightmare” for opposition strikers:
“Abdukodir Khusanov, he’s so fast. Okay, is that a panic buy or is that a good signing? I think it’s a clever signing if City can do a deal because this guy is a talent. I think Paris Saint-Germain wanted him as well. This is how some clubs are working. It reminds me of Brentford or Brighton, the way they work. They take an unknown player from somewhere, and all of a sudden, they become a star in the team, rock. And this is exactly what happened with Khusanov, with Lens.”
“I know that Lens needs money. They are struggling about that. This is why they have sold [Brice] Samba, who I think is the best goalkeeper in France. I know that they want to sell some bankable players, and Khusanov is one of them because they bought him for pennies. Now they want to sell him for about 40 or 50 million euros [£34m to £42m], something like that. He is so fast, he’s a hard man, he’s strong in the duels. He’s a nightmare for strikers.”
Petit claims that, combined with his ability, Khusanov’s mentality gives him the confidence that he can succeed at the very top of the professional game:
“This guy plays with such anger. He wants to hit everyone on the pitch because he’s coming from a poor country, poor background. He just got a name for himself this season with Lens. He feels like he has something to prove.”
“He knows that he can play at the highest level. His motivation hasn’t stopped. He would be a very good signing for any club, because he is a quality defender, he can be a top defender. His quality is, as I said, fighting, understanding of movement, but as well, his speed.”
What do City fans need to know about Khusanov?
As Petit mentions, the centre-half hasn’t had the most conventional career path. After starting out life in his native Uzbekistan, he moved to Belarus where he made his senior debut.
Khusanov then joined Lens on a free transfer at the start of last season. He was initially used as a rotation option by the Ligue One side before firmly establishing himself as a starter this season.
The Uzbek star is not expected to be the only signing this month
City are also believed to be closing in on a deal to sign Vitor Reis from Palmeiras. He is set to cost a very similar fee to Khusanov despite being an even younger defender. It was originally claimed that he would stay in Brazil until the end of the season but it looks like he could now move to the Etihad immediately.
The Premier League champions are said to be in talks with Eintracht Frankfurt about recruiting Omar Marmoush as well, while an agreement to snap up La Liga starlet Juma Bah is believed to be close.
