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Changing Dynamics With Rayan Aït-Nouri
Bailey Wynne
June 7th, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes
Changing Dynamics With Rayan Aït-Nouri
Manchester City are set to sign a genuine, starter-quality left-back for the first time since 2017, who will be joining the team for the Club World Cup. It’s reported that the fee will be close to € 40M, which is quite the deal for such a talented defender, even though he’s got two years left on the contract. Medical is set for this weekend, along with Tijjanji Reijnders, and hopefully Rayan Cherki, as Manchester City aim to get all three done for the competition.
Born in France, he joined Angers youth academy from Paris FC, eventually breaking into the first team before he broke his jaw. Setting him back from becoming the regular that was expected. Moving to Wolves 20/21 on a loan with an option to buy, Aït-Nouri joined permanently and has now played five seasons in the Premier League.
It’s not been an easy ride for him in the Premier League, initially finding his feet in a new country, at the same time as the Covid-19 pandemic. He didn’t start more than 20 PL matches in the first three seasons. Last season he started 29 and became a key part of the team, lacking in the goal contributions (3), but this season he kicked on to provide eleven and started 37 matches.
“His technical competency, his ability and skill in tight areas - keeping the ball close to his feet - give him the opportunity to fit perfectly into Guardiola's possession-based play.”
Despite not being a regular starter over the last five years, only five other defenders have more goal involvements than Ait-Nouri (20). This is a player who’s put it all together in his performances, developed at Wolves, and ready to take the next step.
That also extends off the pitch, as Ait-Nouri discussed after the season, to start all but one Premier League match, you’ve got to be professional in all aspects. To be available, be consistent, and give your best to the team. After the first three seasons with Wolves, you would be confident of this, the last two have proven otherwise.
“I try to be professional outside of the pitch because the nutrition and how you sleep is important, and I’ve put a lot of effort into this kind of thing, so we can see this season that it’s helped as I played a lot of games. But it’s good also for me because I want to play every game. When the coach puts me on the pitch, I try to give everything and try to play my best football.”
It’s not easy for a young player to make that transition to the Premier League, playing as a full-back, with all the demands on you physically at either end of the pitch. Up against incredible athletes trying to beat you down the flank. Need the read the game and find your place in it all. This is something that we’ve seen with January signings Manchester City made this year, they need the time to settle into the country and the league.
"When we were there, people kind of criticised us because they thought that that we did not play him very much, so they assumed that we did not like him as a player. That was not true. We wanted to play him because we always thought he was a very good player. But the problem was that moment of transition. He needed to understand when to defend and when to attack. He needed to learn the trade of a full-back. At that time he was not really a winger, as such. But he was not a wing-back either and he was not a full-back. He was a player trying to find his best position and his own understanding of the game. He has done that ever so well."
Rayan Ait-Nouri 24/25
Across all defenders in the competition last season, Ait-Nouri was first for possession won in the final third (21), and joint-second for fouls won in the final third (9), dribbles attempted (120), and touches in the opposition’s box (104).
Second most assists (7) provided and dribbles completed (64) by a full-back in the Premier League this season.
Among U23 defenders in Europe’s T5 leagues this season, Rayan Ait-Nouri led them for successful take-ons (63) and completed the fourth most progressive carries (89).
The Algerian led Wolves for assists (7), providing the second most key passes (46), and making the third most ball recoveries (145).
Rayan Ait-Nouri (36) has taken the 4th most shots by a U23 FB across Europe's T5 Leagues this season. Also 4th for goals (4).
Manchester City bring in a full-back who's as comfortable carrying the ball inside as he is dribbling along the touchline. Crossing from the left half-space, overlapping a winger, and underlapping runs into the box. The versatility is a clear profile that the club is recruiting.
His technical ability makes it a good fit for a possession-based team, where he’s going to be asked a lot in the buildup, to move inside and give the team solutions. Ait-Nouri can interchange positions, which sets him apart from the likes of Robinson and Kerkez.
“For me, I don’t look at the personal contribution, the most important thing is the team. I will work every time for the team, I will give everything for the team, because it’s the most important thing. When you give everything for the team, for the coach, for the fans, then you can look at your own good moments.
What I would say is that he’s got the tools to fit into the team, but it will not necessarily be a seamless transition for a couple of months. His awareness and position are things to improve that are key to this team. Which is why the Club World Cup is important for these signings.
Whether it's Omar Marmoush or Jeremy Doku playing LW, Rayan Aït-Nouri will work well with them. Below is an example of the inside runs you’d expect him to make and get the pass back from Jeremy Doku. If it’s Marmoush starting, then you’ll see him hold width and be the one picking out runs into the box.
Here are some examples of assists Ait-Nouri has provided this season. The through ball into the box, whipping balls into the 6-yard box from the half-space, and getting to the byline to deliver a cross. Adds another dimension to the Manchester City attack. If you’re looking to spread across the team the creativity that De Bruyne brought, this is one of those areas checked off by Ait-Nouri.
Talking of creativity, here are all the chances that he created this season, and you’ll immediately notice, as a Manchester City fan, that he’s capable of taking corners. Along with Marmoush, Foden, and potentially Cherki, there are a lot of options to pick from.
The other standout is how much he’s creating in the left half-space, moving inside and finding passes into the box. Similar in a way to how Gvardiol played at left-back, but with all the added qualities Ait-Nouri has to dribble past players out wide and provide crosses.
Rayan Ait-Nouri has created 46 chances in the Premier League this season, the same as Savinho. More than Mac Allister, Gundogan, Mitoma, and Maddison.
Pace over long distances is often undervalued, yet it is capable of supporting transitions and facilitating recovery from challenges. An aggressive tackler is something to keep an eye on. Generally good timing. The only defender in the PL to rank among the top 25 players for winning the ball in the defensive third and in the attacking third. That tells you all about his ability to defend 1v1 and win the ball high up the pitch. The two situations he must deliver in at Manchester City to be a long-term success.
Only Bruno Guimaraes (224) and Moises Caicedo (200) have won more ground duels than Ait-Nouri (198) this season in the Premier League—success rate of 55.6%. Also made the sixth most tackles (89) of any full-back this season.
Last point to mention is that he’s had 12 carries that end with a chance created, the same number as Bukayo Saka, James Maddison, and Mateo Kovacic. It will be very useful to carry the ball through the press, and when looking to drive into the final third with the ball. In the Premier League, that’s shifting towards man-to-man presses.
Heading into this season, which wasn't an easy one for Wolves, it was his consistency in the final third that needed to be proven, and he’s taken that step forward. Rayan Aït-Nouri will get into the box to shoot himself and give Erling Haaland plenty of deliveries from the left side. Be the versatile and technical full-back needed for a possession-based, positional system under Guardiola.
He’s capable of handling the starter minutes, which in turn frees up Josko Gvardiol to be the LCB all season. That alone has a huge positive effect on the team. We’ve seen across the last couple of seasons that the spare man is often becoming a full-back against low blocks, and to take advantage of that, you need ones with the quality in the final third that Ait-Nouri provides.
If you haven’t already checked out the previous post on Tijjani Reijnders, then you can find it through the link below. 👇
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