For the first time in 10 years, Manchester City will kick off a Premier League season without Kevin De Bruyne, when they travel to Wolves for the opening day of the 2025/26 season.
The Belgian maestro ended his decade-long stay at the club this summer, having made 422 appearances for the Sky Blues, winning 16 trophies along the way, including six Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League in 2023.
In his place, Rayan Cherki is expected to step up and take the heavy creative burden in Pep Guardiola’s setup. The 21-year-old, who joined City in a £30.5million move from Lyon, has been regarded as one of Europe’s most exciting midfield talents.
Able to play in the No 10 position and off the wing, Cherki offers City something fresh as they transition into the post-De Bruyne era.
But are City actually upgrading on De Bruyne? We’ve taken a look at how Cherki’s numbers from last season compare to the 34-year-old’s.
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Cherki’s journey
Cherki’s footballing journey began in the youth ranks of his hometown club, Lyon. A product of their academy, he quickly rose through the ranks, and it wasn’t long before he earned a spot in Lyon’s first team.
Cherki made his professional debut in 2019 at just 16 years old, and his early performances in Ligue 1 confirmed his potential. He went on to make 185 appearances, logging 29 goals and 45 assists over the course of six seasons.
After several impressive campaigns at Lyon, Cherki took the next big step in his career by moving to City. At his new club, Cherki joins a team of proven winners under the guidance of Guardiola.
Cherki’s playstyle
Under Guardiola, Cherki will likely operate as a No 10 in a plethora of formations, as the Spanish manager often rejigs his setup.
One of the standout aspects of Cherki’s playstyle is his ability to drift across the forward line, constantly looking to link up play and create opportunities. This was evidenced by his 11 assists and 22 big chances created in Ligue 1 last season – the most in the division.
Cherki’s natural disposition is to drift right, and he will likely handed a more free-roaming role under Guardiola. He has impressive vision and dribbling ability; he completed the most through balls in Ligue 1 last season (13) and the 13th most take-ons (48). For someone who isn’t a touchline winger, the latter statistic is outstanding.
Cherki’s work rate and defensive contribution is obviously nowhere near his offensive output, but he is a constant presence in high pressing situations. His ability to press the ball efficiently in the final third is especially important in Guardiola’s system, where every player is expected to contribute to recovering the ball.
Cherki vs De Bruyne (2024/25)
Last season, Cherki was more involved in goalscoring situations compared to De Bruyne, averaging 0.4 goals per 90 in Ligue 1. De Bruyne, meanwhile, had slightly fewer, with 0.3 per 90 in the Premier League. Cherki also averaged 0.5 assists per 90, more than De Bruyne’s 0.4. While both are creators, Cherki will likely offer slightly higher output.
Cherki created an impressive 3.3 chances per 90 in Ligue 1, with De Bruyne slightly behind at 3 chances created per 90 in the Premier League. This difference is minimal, indicating that both players are key contributors. When it comes to through-balls, Cherki is also ahead, completing 1 per 90 compared to De Bruyne’s 0.8.
Cherki’s dribbling ability is a standout feature of his game, completing 2.2 take-ons per 90. De Bruyne, in comparison, only completed 0.7 take-ons per 90. This could partly be due to Guardiola’s system, which very much limits players’ time on the ball, as he encourages patient build-up play through passing patterns.
In terms of crosses, De Bruyne’s role as a deep-lying creator gives him a greater output in this area, completing 0.8 open-play crosses per game, while Cherki completed just 0.2. De Bruyne’s crosses are a crucial aspect of his game, with his delivery notoriously being one of the best in the world.
Both players are highly involved in progressing the ball forward, but De Bruyne edged Cherki slightly in forward passes, with 14.9 per 90 compared to 15.1.
In conclusion, while both Cherki and De Bruyne share many similarities in terms of their creativity and playmaking ability, their styles differ. De Bruyne is more of a traditional creator, while Cherki brings a more direct, dribbling-based threat – which is unsurprising considering his tendency to drift wide and his ability to play off the wing.