Towards the end of the summer transfer window, Eliaquim Mangala’s name appeared quite a bit in both the Italian and the French press.
Considered by both Inter and Lille as an option to bolster their respective defences, the Manchester City centre-back ended up staying at the Emirates, where he is now warming the bench on a weekly basis.
Playing just 19 minutes of league football this season, Mangala clearly isn’t a part of Pep Guardiola’s plans, hence why stories are starting to reemerge regarding a possible January exit, either on loan or permanent.
In fact, over in Lille, Marcelo Bielsa heavily hinted during a press conference that if he were to be offered the 25-year-old again, he wouldn’t turn him down like he did back in August.
He said in a press conference, relayed by Foot01: “The last day of the transfer window, Lille were prepared to spend €27m on three players, which equated to 50% of what it has already spent.
“If those means are still there in January, and I can’t see why they wouldn’t be, and we can convince the players we want, I’m always favourable towards recruiting them.”
Even if Lille are currently in a relegation battle in Ligue 1, surely even that would be better for Mangala’s career than cashing in a paycheque doing nothing at Manchester City?
If the opportunity presents itself, even if it is a loan, he should grab it with both hands.
