Rayan Cherki could become the bargain of the decade at Man City

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Manchester City tried to sign Florian Wirtz, but decided to get Rayan Cherki instead - and it is now looking like one of the club's greatest ever decisions

It could well prove to be a sliding doors moment that goes on to define Manchester City’s success for several years to come.

Last summer, club bosses were involved in a transfer tussle with bitter rivals Liverpool. The player at the centre of it all was a certain Florian Wirtz. City were locked in a bidding war. But withdrew once it became clear Liverpool were prepared to go past the £100m mark.

In the end, Liverpool went the extra mile and paid £116m for the attacking midfielder. City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak had been here before. Back in 2017 he found himself going toe-to-toe with Liverpool for the services of Virgil Van Dijk. Once again, he baulked at matching Liverpool’s winning bid of £75m.

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He was infamously quoted as saying the Dutch defender wasn’t worth it. Time has proved Al-Mubarak wrong. But if the evidence of this season is anything to go by, Al-Mubarak made the right call second time round, when it came to Wirtz.

The German’s struggles have been well documented. He has personified a troubled season for the English champions. But it is what Al-Mubarak chose to do instead, which has proved to be a masterstroke.

Instead of paying over the odds for Wirtz, he put his faith in Plan B and paid under the odds for Rayan Cherki. And the decision to sign Cherki from Lyon for just £34m is now looking like one of the greatest pieces of transfer business in modern times.

There can be no bigger compliment paid to Cherki than to suggest he is capable of giving City a fighting chance of not missing Bernardo Silva when he leaves this summer. Cherki appears to be the heir to the throne Silva is about to vacate.

He left Gabriel so bamboozled, the Brazilian looked like he’d turned to stone. In the first half, Cherki caused sheer panic in the Arsenal defence every time he got on the ball. He has scored 10 goals this season and is also in double figures for assists. And if City go on to win yet another title, his contribution will prove to have been crucial. Football is about entertainment. And Cherki provides it on a regular basis. At a fraction of the cost to what Liverpool have spent on someone who has provided little. The departure of Silva in a few weeks will be a huge loss. Despite approaching the age of 32 this summer, Silva remains one of the most influential footballers in the English game. He was also outstanding against Arsenal. And is on a mission to leave City on a high. Under normal circumstances his decision to leave would be an almighty problem. But in Cherki, City have someone capable of providing the solutions. And considering he is almost a decade younger than Silva, City’s return on their modest investment could turn into a jackpot they can profit from for years to come.