Nunes upgrade: Man City enter race to sign “one of the best RWBs in the PL”
Manchester City kept the pressure on league leaders Arsenal on Sunday with a 3-0 win against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in the Premier League.
Erling Haaland added two goals to his tally for the season, either side of a long-range strike from Phil Foden, who is now into double figures for the campaign with ten.
Matheus Nunes added his third assist for the season at right-back, in a new role for Pep Guardiola’s side, with a brilliant cross to the back post for Haaland’s first goal of the match.
Man City want to sign Crystal Palace star
Despite the Portugal international’s emergence as a genuine starting option at right-back for City, the club are reportedly keen on a star who could come in and take his place.
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According to CaughtOffside, Manchester City are interested in a deal to sign Crystal Palace wing-back Daniel Munoz ahead of the January transfer window.
The report claims that Guardiola admires the Colombia international because he feels that the defender’s aggressive style of play would be a good fit for the way that he wants his full-backs to play.
It adds that City have done extensive scouting work to assess the experienced wing-back as a possible transfer target, who is also attracting interest from Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Atletico Madrid.
This shows that there could be plenty of competition for the Palace star’s signature next month when the January transfer window opens, yet the report does not reveal how much the Eagles would demand to part ways with him.
Why Man City should sign Daniel Munoz
The Cityzens should push to win the race for the Colombian star, albeit it remains to be seen how much he will cost, because the defender could arrive at The Etihad in January as a big upgrade on Nunes at right-back.
As impressive as his assist for Haaland was on Sunday, Nunes has still been very questionable defensively. Per Sofascore, the former Wolves star has made three errors leading to shots, goals, or penalties for the opposition in the Premier League this season.
Munoz, meanwhile, has made no errors leading to shots, goals, or penalties in 14 appearances in the top-flight for Palace this season, per Sofascore, which comes after he only made one in 37 starts in the division in the 2024/25 campaign.
This suggests that the Colombia international would be a big upgrade on Nunes from a defensive perspective, as he is far less likely to make critical defensive errors in the Premier League that could cost the team points.
Munoz was described as “one of the best RWBs in the Premier League” by one scout on X, and that is because he has attacking quality to go along with his impressive defensive work for the Eagles.
Appearances
14
14
Goals
3
1
Big chances created
4
3
xA
2.00
0.97
Tackles + interceptions per game
3.5
2.7
Duels won per game
5.2
4.0
Error led to shot, goal, or penalty
0
3
As you can see in the table above, the Palace star has produced seven goals and ‘big chances’ combined in the Premier League this term, which is almost twice as many as Nunes has managed in a title-challenging Manchester City team.
The statistics also back up that he would be a big upgrade on the Portuguese full-back as an out-and-out defender at right-back, as he is more effective in his defensive duels, without making any errors that cost his side.
Munoz also scored four goals, created seven ‘big chances’, and provided five assists in the Premier League for Palace in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore, which shows that his current form is not a flash in the pan, and that he is a consistent contributor at the top end of the pitch.
Therefore, City would be signing a tried and tested, proven, Premier League wing-back option to bolster Guardiola’s squad if they manage to get a deal over the line for the 29-year-old star ahead of the second half of the season.
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That is why the Cityzens should be pushing hard to beat the likes of Bayern, Chelsea, and United to his signature, because he could hit the ground running as a player who already knows the league and has shown that he has the quality defensively and offensively to be a big upgrade on Nunes.