Nico Gonzalez has reportedly completed his medical tests and signed his contract as a Manchester City player on transfer deadline day.
The champions were humiliated on Sunday by Arsenal when they lost 5-1 at the Emirates in the Premier League, falling nine points behind the Gunners and 15 behind first-placed Liverpool.
City have been criticised for their defensive frailty this season, with the absence of Rodri revealing vulnerabilities in midfield.
Pep Guardiola has sought to address his side's weaknesses in the January window, spending in excess of £130m on players such as Omar Marmoush.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Manchester City have completed the signing of Porto midfielder Nico Gonzalez for a fee of £50m.
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When could Nico Gonzalez make his debut?
City are set to take on Leyton Orient in the FA Cup on February 8, and throwing the 23-year-old into the starting XI against the League One side could be sensible given the calibre of opponents may allow him to become familiar with Guardiola's playing style in a less pressurised environment.
It would be surprising if Gonzalez was not given minutes against Leyton Orient considering the Citizens play Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 playoff on February 11.
Throwing the midfielder straight into the mix against Real without game time could be risky, but City's following fixtures are not much better.
Gonzalez's first Premier League game is likely to be against Newcastle United on February 15, and his second would be against league-leaders Liverpool on February 23.
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Will Gonzalez solve Manchester City's problems?
City's ageing squad have struggled to cope against physical opponents, with the likes of Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard finding joy when pressing the champions aggressively last Sunday.
Gonzalez is just over six foot tall and is able to cover ground effectively, something that Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan have failed to do so far this term.
The Spanish midfielder is arguably more suited to playing as a number eight, but he does possess a strong skillset on the ball, so perhaps he could help bring some control back into City's midfield.
However, there are question marks over a number of first-team players, and the signature of Gonzalez is unlikely to solve all of the team's issues.
Lewis Nolan
