While the dreaded left-back spot remains a conundrum even the great Pep Guardiola can’t crack, a player Manchester City allowed to walk out the door is thriving as Benjamin Mendy continues to fall short of expectations.
But City aren’t the only Premier League side glancing at eastern Germany and wondering what might have been.
According to The Sun (25 September, page 54), Newcastle United were eyeing a potential £25 million deal for Angelino before the swashbuckling Spaniard returned for a second spell at RB Leipzig instead.
Steve Bruce’s loss, then, is undoubtedly Julian Nagelsmann’s gain.
There was never any doubt about Angelino’s qualities in the final third.
This is a man who produced 12 assists with that trusty left boot at PSV in 2018/19, impressing so much Man City jumped at the chance to exercise the buy-back clause in his contract.
But no-one, not even the visionary Nagelsmann himself, expected Angelino to add a ruthless finishing streak to his game.
Yet in six matches in 2020/21, the left-back turned left-winger has found the net four times.
That tally includes a match-winning Champions League brace against Istanbul Basaksehir, complete with a gorgeous touch and strike Denis Bergkamp himself would have been proud of.
“World class.” That was Nagelsmann’s assessment of a strike most left-backs could only dream of, speaking to Goal last week.
“He is inquisitive, listens and implements things as he is a great footballer with an instinct to play,” the Leipzig boss continued.
“He always wants to have the ball and you see him constantly shooting. After training he wants to continue. He has a massive playing instinct and he wants to win all the time and play around with a ball.”
Newcastle at least appear to have solved their decade-long search for a quality left-back by landing Jamal Lewis from Norwich City.
But does the all-action Irishman boast the same “world-class” attributes that are making Angelino shine on the biggest stage of all?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
