Back in late 2020, Manchester City had a real problem in central defence - they were leaking goals at an alarming rate.
After meekly surrendering their Premier League title to Liverpool the year prior, there was massive pressure on Pep Guardiola to bounce back and compete for the title in a bizarre behind closed doors season.
They started the campaign with a concerning 5-2 defeat to Leicester City at the Etihad Stadium, where a back four of Benjamin Mendy, Eric Garcia, Nathan Aké and Kyle Walker conceded three penalties across the 90 minutes.
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It was an issue all too familiar for City fans, who had already seen Fernandinho and Rodri stand in as emergency centre-backs in the 2019/20 season after big injuries to John Stones and Aymeric Laporte.
City were clearly light in that area, and weeks later, Ruben Dias joined Aké as the club's major summer signing. There was a lot of pressure on the Portuguese international's shoulders after his £65 million transfer, but he certainly rose to the challenge and won FWA Footballer of the Season in his debut campaign.
Since his move, the quartet of Dias, Laporte, Stones and Aké have powered City to consecutive Premier League titles, one Carabao Cup and a club-first Champions League final appearance. It's perhaps the most settled a City backline has been in years - and Guardiola has the perfect balance.
Two left footers and two right footers is every manager's dream. Guardiola has been able to rotate between four world-class options for two years, but movement in the transfer window could threaten that luxury next season.
Aké - who was a youth player at Stamford Bridge - is on Chelsea's radar this summer, as Thomas Tuchel looks to rebuild a depleted defence. They have lost Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen on free transfers and have eyed several candidates as their replacements.
Despite the suggestion that the player himself may be tempted by the promise of regular football, the Manchester Evening News revealed City will not let Aké leave unless they receive a significant fee from the former Champions League winners and have a ready-made replacement already lined up.
City's stance is a clear indication that they are happy with their current options. The Dutchman had a slow start to life in East Manchester, but has showed real signs of promise in his second season, scoring a particularly vital goal against Leeds United in the title run-in.
Upsetting that balance by letting the 27-year-old leave could have a catastrophic impact on the season if City were to pick up a few injuries, especially in such a packed schedule. Guardiola - alongside his recruitment staff - solved a big issue in 2020 and will not want to return to a familiar dilemma by letting key personnel leave the club.
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