Guardiola draws up Manchester City midfield plan in absence of January signings

Pep Guardiola hopes Ilkay Gundogan can fill in for Fernandinho going forwards if Manchester City fail to sign a holding midfielder this month. (via TEAMtalk) Manchester City boss is not expected to do much of a business during this month's transfer window, unless he can sign a holding midfielder. “It’s not easy to find the specific quality of the players," said Guardiola “There are players who can play in that role but, specifically Fernandinho’s role, it’s so difficult to find. He knows the Premier League and, after three years together here, he knows everything and that’s so important. “But, of course, for the next season it’s an important target to find. He’ll be 34 and he cannot play every few days. “Gundogan played the last two games like a holding midfielder. He had more space than usual but he was so clever. He made an incredible assist and a lot of passes before the finish. “His quality is incredible. He can play that holding midfield role. He has the quality and the vision to pass. When he’s close to the box he arrives in the right tempo and the right moment to score a goal. He’s a fantastic player.”

Bayern Munich want to sign Arsenal’s head of recruitment