Bouadi and the Rodri dilemma: how is Manchester City preparing itself for every scenario?

Manchester City are in transition, and it is proving anything but smooth. Replacing a manager who steered the club for ten years was never going to be simple, and the signs of a full squad rebuild are unmistakable.

Four of the pillars behind the historic treble of 2022-2023 have left this summer. Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, Bernardo Silva and John Stones have all moved on.

City responded in the market, splashing 116 million pounds sterling on Elliot Anderson and adding the 17-year-old English talent Jeremy Monga. The upheaval may not end there.

Fresh from leading Spain to the World Cup title, Rodri is preparing for back surgery. Just one year remains on his City contract, and speculation over his future is mounting.

Nobody knows how long he will be sidelined, but Enzo Maresca made his stance clear at his first press conference. He wants to keep the Spain star.

Real Madrid's reported interest, though, throws up plenty of questions. Will City cling to their man? Or will they cash in once he is fit and bank the profit?

When Rodri returned from his anterior cruciate ligament tear last season, many doubted his ability to recover the level that had made him one of the world's leading players.

Guardiola never wavered. Back in October he said: "At the World Cup we will see the best version of Rodri, and next season we will see the best version of him too."

The player proved him right. He led Spain to the World Cup title and walked away with the award for best player of the tournament.

Asked about Rodri's future, Maresca did not hesitate: "Any coach in the world would want to have a player like Rodri, because he is an exceptional player. He will undergo surgery on Monday, and now he needs rest and recovery, then he will return to us."

Those words spell out the club's priority: keep one of the best midfielders in the world, while preparing alternatives for any scenario.

Elliot Anderson stands out as one of the most important components of the club's future plans and its new project. Manchester City also continue to monitor Lille's Moroccan midfielder Ayoub Bouaddi (18), who caught the eye during his appearances for Morocco at the World Cup.

City want young players with tactical flexibility, capable of filling more than one position in a system built on possession and positioning.

To understand the role of Rodri, Anderson and perhaps Bouaddi, though, you first have to understand Maresca's philosophy. The Italian is one of the leading advocates of positional play, and he likens football to a game of chess.

"There are many similarities between the two," Maresca says. "The most important is tactical thinking and correct positioning." His philosophy is built on an attacking shape close to a 3-2-2-3, relying on constant interchange of positions.

Rodri's ability to occupy more than one position within that shape is among his most notable qualities. At the World Cup, he would drop into the heart of the defence when Aymeric Laporte advanced with the ball, then return to the holding role, before pushing forward when needed.

Flexibility drives everything Maresca does, with the team switching from a 4-4-2 out of possession to a 3-2-2-3 in attack, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation "BBC".

During the treble season, John Stones would push up from the back to sit alongside Rodri in midfield. Maresca helped design that very idea while working as Guardiola's assistant.

He carried the same principle into Chelsea, deploying Moisés Caicedo as a right-back who moved into defensive midfield in possession. That gave the team a numerical edge in the middle.

Elliott Anderson's value lies in his versatility. Throughout his career he has filled various roles across midfield and attack, and with England he would even drop back into a five-man defensive line when out of possession.

Play him alongside Rodri and Anderson can sit as the holding midfielder, freeing the Spaniard to push forward, or the other way round. The pair can swap roles continually to keep the team balanced, particularly when defenders like Marc Guehi or Josko Gvardiol carry the ball upfield.

Manchester City hope Anderson can recreate what Rodri and Bernardo Silva once delivered together. His versatility and appetite for different tactical duties make him the ideal candidate.

Ayoub Bouaddi brings similar qualities. He has played in defensive midfield, at right-back and at centre-back, and stands out for his defensive strength and composure in possession. His roles closely echo what John Stones used to offer within the City system.

City are banking on intelligent players who can cover more than one position, handing Maresca the kind of tactical flexibility Luis Enrique enjoys at Paris Saint-Germain. Reaching that level takes time, though, and plenty of work on the training ground.

Ayoub Bouaddi signed a new deal at Lille last December, tying him to the club until the summer of 2029. Yet every sign points to a long stay at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy being unlikely.

Europe's elite are circling, and Lille know keeping hold of their jewel will be no easy task. Not if the right financial offer lands on the table.

Bouaddi is fast becoming one of the most talked-about young midfielders in Europe, and the noise around his future is only getting louder as the continent's biggest clubs come knocking.

The French side have no problem entertaining a sale for the right price. That price, though, could put the deal out of reach for plenty of suitors.

Estimates put Lille's asking figure at close to 100 million euros. It's a valuation that says everything about how they see Bouaddi: not just a promising talent, but one of the most valuable young players in European football.

Manchester City are the most serious contender despite the hefty cost. They have made Bouaddi a top priority in the market and are now waiting for the player to settle his future in the coming weeks.

Some clubs, according to reports, are willing to buy him and leave him at Lille for another season to keep developing. City want him straight away and slotted into the first team, with midfield one of their main targets in this window.

Rodri's presence remains the best option for Manchester City. The player possesses exceptional experience in reading the game, positioning, and managing the tempo of a match, things that Anderson and the new arrivals may need years to acquire.

The best evidence of this? Rodri himself needed several seasons before he became the true leader of City's midfield, learning a great deal alongside Fernandinho along the way.

Maresca, though, has already proven he can redeploy players in new positions. He did exactly that with John Stones, Moisés Caicedo, Marc Cucurella and others.

Whether Rodri stays or leaves, then, the Italian coach wants to build a squad with far more variety. He is after a roster stacked with players who can perform different roles, a clear break from Guardiola's philosophy of leaning on a limited group.

Rodri's future may well be the biggest headline this summer. It is not the only issue at Manchester City, though. The success of Maresca's project will hinge on his ability to build a flexible collective system, one capable of competing with the Spanish star in the side or without him.