"He's two-footed, an amazing finisher” - Man City new star tipped to win Ballon d’Or

Following a disappointing season by Pep Guardiola’s standards, the Spanish tactician went on spending spree to shore-up his side, bringing in prolific players that can wrestle the Premier League from Liverpool.

Central midfielder Tijjani Reijnders joined from AC Milan for €55.00m, left-back Rayan Aït-Nouri was a €36.80m bargain from Wolves, goalkeeper James Trafford joined for €31.20m from Burnley, while right winger Rayan Cherki arrived from Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyon for €36.50m.

However, it’s the latter that has been tipped to ascend to the pinnacle of world football, and get his hands on the coveted Ballon d’Or trophy.

The team at TNT Sports have heaped praise on 21-year-old Frenchman Rayan Cherki to follow the footsteps of his Spanish teammate Rodri, in winning the Ballon d’Or.

The crew members including ex-Manchester United stars Owen Hargreaves, Darren Fletcher and Chelsea legend Joe Cole discussed the impact they expect from the Manchester City new signing.

"You know what I like, I've heard a couple of quotes about him, and he's having himself, but in a nice way. He was talking about Ballon d'Ors and things like that. I like that, though," former Chelsea and Liverpool star Joe Cole said.

Fletcher said: "He can certainly win one at Man City. I'm not sure about him winning one at Lyon, but he can win one there. He's got the stage now at Man City. The only downside would be, sometimes players have gone into a Pep system, and this a relatively new-look Manchester City team, and it can take you a season to properly adapt. If they're going to push Liverpool, they've all got to settle in straight away."

Meanwhile, former England international Owen Hargreaves was more fascinated by the numbers Cherki delivered last season for Lyon.

He said: "He had 30-plus goals and assists last season. He's two-footed, an amazing finisher, and been a pro since he was 16 years old."

After joining from Lyon, Cherki was part of the Manchester City side that failed to deliver at the expanded 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. He made four appearances but only managed one goal in the 6-0 trashing of Al Ain in the group stage.

He also played 46 minutes of Manchester City’s 3-0 triumph over Palermo in their pre-season warmup game.

Cherki will be hoping to make his Premier League debut on Saturday, August 16th when Manchester City face Wolves.