Paul Merson has questioned Manchester City’s big-money move for Nico Gonzalez, claiming Pep Guardiola’s side have ‘panicked’. The reigning Premier League champions have spent heavily this window - Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis all arriving for big fees. City’s spending looks set continue on deadline day with a £50m swoop for Porto star Nico Gonzalez. The Spaniard is due to move to the Etihad Stadium and arrives at a perfect time, with Rodri still recovering from his serious knee injury. But Merson is not totally convinced and believes Gonzalez will just become an expensive squad filler.

Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: "I've not seen this lad play so don't know too much about him. But they need players in midfield. A lot of people say it's not just Rodri. It is just Rodri. “Rodri sees danger, Rodri is disciplined, Rodri stays in the centre, he gets forward and sits back and protects the backline as well, and he passes the ball through the line very quickly. "I like Kovacic, but he will go over and dribble with the ball and people end up all out of position. Him and Bernardo Silva get just ruined in the last 30 minutes at Arsenal. If you take away the 30 minutes and first 20, City were very good at Arsenal.

“It was a good away performance. But that takes away the first 20 minutes when they could have been out of the game, and the last 30 minutes - so it's not much in between that. "The issue is that Gonzalez comes in for £50m, as soon as Rodri's fit that's it. I don't think he plays. Unless you play them together and I don't think you need to. This is the problem with wages and buying players, you forget that by the start of next season, this guy is sitting on the bench with big money.

Will Nico Gonzalez be a good signing for Man City? Share your thoughts in the comments below. “You then look at McAtee with a brilliant young future and they will have to sell him for the fair play rules. It's a knock-on effect. If they buy Gonzalez, they must be panicking badly to get into the top four.". Gonzalez, a Spanish under-21 international, has shone for Porto this season. He has scored seven goals and provided a further six assists in all competitions for the Portuguese giants.

But Merson’s concern could potentially come to fruition sooner rather than later after City dropped a hint about Rodri’s comeback. Despite his long-term injury, the midfielder is set to be registered for the Champions League knockout rounds. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.