Left-back has been Manchester City's problem position for a number of years now.
Angeliño — now at RB Leipzig — was Pep Guardiola's last purchase in that particular area of the field back in 2019. Since then, a number of players have had to unnaturally fill that position, including Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabian Delph and Joao Cancelo.
After the signings of Erling Haaland and Kalvin Phillips, it was clear City's next target was (finally) going to be a left-back, and it looked for a while like Brighton's Marc Cucurella was the prime candidate. However, despite months of talks, it's clear the Blues were not willing to meet Brighton's asking price and the Spaniard looks destined to join Chelsea.
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There have been small links with other potential targets, but nothing concrete, which means that City are likely to go into the new season with what they have.
Cancelo was voted by his fellow professionals as the Premier League's best left-back last season, so it's obvious he will start all of City's biggest games. However, with a season so jam-packed, cover is necessary and Guardiola will have to use the versatility of his squad to the absolute maximum.
No City supporter wanted this scenario, but it is time to look at who Guardiola could deploy at left-back in the current squad, when Cancelo is not available, and if they don't sign anyone:
Aymeric Laporte
City supporters will remember one of the biggest games of the 2018/19 title success was facing Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium in early January.
The Blues were behind Liverpool by seven points and a win for Jurgen Klopp's side would be almost fatal in City's pursuit of back-to-back titles. On a night of fine margins, Leroy Sané's 72nd minute goal was the difference between the sides and kickstarted a fine run of form.
But even before all that occurred, the starting XI raised a few eyebrows. Kyle Walker was injured and Danilo was his cover at right-back — meaning there was no obvious candidate for the left-back role. Guardiola surprised everyone by selecting Laporte, but his combination of dogged defending and elite build-up play complimented the team very nicely.
Guardiola confirmed last week that the Spanish international is out until September with a knee injury; but when he's back, he could become a viable alternative.
Nathan Aké
This is probably the most likely option and one Guardiola has used a few times already.
A testament to Aké's selflessness, the Dutchman produced some fine left-back performances towards the back-end of the campaign when Walker was struggling with an ankle injury.
Despite being shuffled across seemingly every position in the backline, there were never any complaints from the 27-year-old and there was clear steady progression in his performances as the season progressed. There was talk of him leaving the club this summer, but all of a sudden, it could become his biggest in Sky Blue so far.
Josh Wilson-Esbrand
Maybe it's time to put some faith in the kids.
The 19-year-old showed throughout pre-season that he is capable of producing high-quality performances with the senior team, so why not give him the chance to prove it in the Premier League?
It is, of course, unlikely he will be thrown straight in the deep end, but featuring in some home fixtures against lower league opposition is a low-risk strategy Guardiola may opt to utilise.
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