Search icon

Football

02nd Mar 2018

Sky Sports pundit believes four current Arsenal players would slot right into Man City’s team

And he kept a straight face too

Darragh Murphy

Four was very ambitious.

Far be it from us to criticise the ability of any Arsenal player but there is a tricky little issue with George Boateng’s claim that four of Arsene Wenger’s players would make it into the current Manchester City side.

The issue is that for the Gunners’ attacking unit to make it into the City team, it would mean that Pep Guardiola’s best players would have to miss out.

Would you have Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang over Sergio Aguero? Would you have Henrikh Mkhitaryan over Leroy Sane? Would you have Mesut Ozil over Kevin De Bruyne?

Would you have Danny Welbeck over anyone in City’s side???

Because George Boateng would.

Fresh from City’s second 3-0 victory over Arsenal in a matter of days, Boateng took to the Sky Sports studios to offer up his analysis and it was there that the former Middlesbrough and Aston Villa midfielder came out with the below bold claim.

“In Arsenal’s starting line-up, there are probably only four players that can get into Manchester City’s team,” Boateng said.

“I would pick Aubameyang. Ozil is good enough when he’s in his prime. He’s a good player.

“You’ve got Mkhitaryan, who just signed. I think Mkhitaryan is a good player who can do very well in the top four.

“And then, you’d probably have, if he is fit, Welbeck. If he is fit, he’s a very good player but fitness has always been an issue.”

Yes, you read that correctly. A fully fit Welbeck makes it into Guardiola’s side, according to Boateng.

Welbeck has scored just 22 goals in his 95 appearances under Wenger and while Guardiola could likely get the best out of the 27-year-old, nobody could see a scenario in which the Spaniard would Welbeck over any of his current crop.