Merson's verdict on Rodri's future
Paul Merson has stirred the pot in his latest Sky Sports column, suggesting City could let Rodri leave this summer. The pundit points to the £116m arrival of Elliot Anderson as the reason the Blues might be willing to part with their midfield anchor.
Merson doesn't see how the two fit together.
Writing in his Sky Sports column, he said he couldn't work out how Rodri and Anderson would share the same midfield. The logic being that with Anderson's price tag, City may have already planned for life after the Portuguese international.
“Rodri is the best in the business at ticking it over,” Merson wrote.
That praise doesn't stop him from suggesting City could cope without him, though. The claim is bold, especially given Rodri's importance in recent seasons, but Merson seems convinced that Anderson's arrival changes the equation.
Whether City actually sell remains to be seen, but Merson has thrown a genuine talking point into a quiet July.