Manchester City are about to announce the signing of Rayan Ait-Nouri, with a fee agreed for the left-back and a medical reportedly having taken place on Saturday.
With just one year left on his contract, the Wolverhampton Wanderers defender will arrive at the Etihad Stadium for an initial cut-price fee in the region of £31m.
In this Moving Target article, we discuss Ait-Nouri’s Fantasy Premier League (FPL) prospects in 2025/26 – and what his transfer could mean for Josko Gvardiol.
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AIT-NOURI: FPL HISTORY
| SEASON | STARTS (SUB) | GOALS | ASSISTS | CLEAN SHEETS | BONUS POINTS | FPL POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 16 (5) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 54 |
| 2021/22 | 20 (3) | 1 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 87 |
| 2022/23 | 9 (12) | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 41 |
| 2023/24 | 29 (4) | 2 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 77 |
| 2024/25 | 37 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 125 |
Ait-Nouri moved to Molineux from French side Angers in 2020. He has since made 135 Premier League appearances, with nine goals and 15 assists.
The 2024/25 campaign was undoubtedly his best, starting 37 out of Wolves’ 38 Premier League games.
Primarily featuring as a left wing-back, Ait-Nouri delivered 11 attacking returns, the most of any FPL defender.
To further underline those offensive qualities, the Algerian’s 31 shots in the box (from 36 total attempts) placed him behind only Josko Gvardiol and Daniel Munoz.
In addition, only Leif Davis, Pedro Porro and Trent Alexander-Arnold created more chances than his 46.
Above: Rayan Ait-Nouri’s shot map in 2024/25
WHERE AIT-NOURI FITS IN AT CITY
Ait-Nouri has the technical qualities Pep Guardiola wants in a player, with excellent dribbling ability. He’s also a versatile, two-footed full-back/wing-back, who is equally comfortable hugging the touchline or ‘inverting’ into more central areas.
He therefore gives the Spaniard plenty of tactical options, with this StatsBomb graphic breaking down his positions in the Premier League last season.
You’d think Ait-Nouri will become the first-choice left-back, however, with Gvardiol moving inside to occupy the centre-half position, a role he played during the closing weeks of 2024/25. Ruben Dias would probably play alongside the Croatian, with City potentially seeking out a new attack-minded right-back to complement the trio.
Ait-Nouri isn’t the best defensively, with concerns around his concentration. Indeed, in Gameweek 2 of 2024/25, Chelsea’s Noni Madueke scored a hat-trick at Molineux, with then Wolves boss Gary O’Neil saying “… we had no left-back” in the aftermath.
Placing Ait-Nouri next to a quick centre-half like Gvardiol could help in that regard, though, with further defensive cover supplied by the incoming Tijjani Reijnders and the fit-again Rodri.
| NAME | MINS PER SHOT | MINS PER SHOT IN BOX | MINS PER PEN BOX TOUCH | MINS PER CHANCE CREATED | MINS PER CROSS | MINS PER XGI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ait-Nouri | 86.4 | 100.3 | 29.9 | 68.0 | 33.1 | 464.9 |
| Akanji | 135.0 | 253.1 | 106.6 | 225.0 | 184.1 | 715.5 |
| Ake | 226.0 | 226.0 | 135.6 | 678.0 | 678.0 | 1738.5 |
| Dias | 108.5 | 227.8 | 87.6 | 456.0 | 759.3 | 846.8 |
| Gvardiol | 81.9 | 96.4 | 31.5 | 126.0 | 149.0 | 436.9 |
| Khusanov | 502.0 | 0 | 502.0 | 251.0 | 502.0 | 4563.6 |
| Lewis | 191.3 | 239.1 | 39.0 | 273.0 | 318.8 | 797.1 |
| Stones | 284.0 | 284.0 | 142.0 | 284.0 | 0 | 931.1 |
Above: Ait-Nouri’s underlying stats in 2024/25 compared to other Man City defenders
FINAL THOUGHTS
If Ait-Nouri carries his form from the 2024/25 campaign onwards and nails down a starting berth, he will quickly make his way onto Fantasy managers’ radars, even with a likely price hike to £5.5m.
Bearing in mind he registered four goals and seven assists in a struggling Wolves side last season, that isn’t really in doubt.
There are no cast-iron guarantees that Ait-Nouri will instantly become a Fantasy hit, of course.
Initially, he might not carry the required security of starts, making him a much riskier pick than we were used to him being at Wolves. Hopefully, pre-season, plus the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup, will tell us more about his expected minutes.
Having produced six clean sheets in the last nine Gameweeks, and with Rodri back, a City defender will certainly be worthy of our consideration come Gameweek 1. Perhaps it won’t be a £6.0m+ Gvardiol, though, whose Fantasy appeal would be considerably dented by consistent run-outs as a centre-back. In effect, the Croatian would be City’s Virgil van Dijk: a threat at corners, but with little attacking potential from open play.
16 days, 9 hours agoIf it emerges RAN is nailed then we'll be all over him like a flock of seagulls.