Rayan Cherki embarrassing £616m of Premier League flops as Wirtz left in the dust | OneFootball

Manchester City playmaker Rayan Cherki continues to embarrass Liverpool flop Florian Wirtz, among other more expensive summer signings.

Cherki is just a ridiculous footballer, isn’t he? Whether it’s rabona assists, reverse elasticos or belting strikes from 25 yards out, he continues to amaze. And he continues to outshine every other creative midfielder who cost significantly more than him last summer.

More expensive 2025 summer signings than Rayan Cherki (£34m)

All of those players cost a combined £616million. Cherki’s thunderb*stard against Brentford was his 10th goal involvement for City in the Premier League and Carabao Cup. Wirtz vs Cherki was almost laughed off as a debate before a ball was kicked, yet the former has zero domestic goals or assists. You’d definitely be laughed out of the room for comparing them now, because the Frenchman is so unbelievably clear of his German counterpart.

He has been comfortably better than those 12 players. The debate will rightly come back round to Wirtz – who has zero goals or assists in 16 appearances in the Carabao Cup and Our League – and how Man City signed Cherki for a fraction of the price. It’s early days in both Premier League careers, but the early signs suggest Liverpool’s pants have been pulled down, while City have found themselves a proper bargain and potentially a 22-year-old who is already world-class.

Not only does Cherki’s incredible form deserve to be compared to more expensive players operating at a significantly lower level, but City’s outstanding recruitment team deserves its flowers once again.

We have been left bewildered by the money they have received for some of their young players. Even Cole Palmer’s £40million move to Chelsea felt a bit bold at the time. Plenty like Palmer have ended up justifying their transfer fee, while others like James McAtee – for whom £30m felt about right – haven’t done much since leaving the Etihad.

McAtee’s £30m transfer fee has aged tremendously well for City, who have somehow signed a significantly better player for only £4m more.

Cherki’s goal against Brentford was his most recent moment of magic in a brilliant period for him. He is getting people off their seats every time he’s on the ball. His final product has been superb, whether he’s shooting or passing, and he’s just a joy to watch.

There aren’t many players these days who fill you with anticipation every time they get the ball, but Cherki is one of them. We are honestly excited to see him in action again this weekend against West Ham. God only knows what he will do to them.