£42.9m Mangala joins Man City

• Posted on August 12, 2014August 12, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Manchester City finally confirmed the signing of Porto centre-back Eliaquim Mangala on Monday in a deal which unofficially makes him the Premier League’s most expensive defender at £42.9m.

The 23-year-old has the potential to become one of Europe’s best  according to City boss Manuel Pellegrini, who had been tracking the French international for some time.

Third-party ownership was the complication holding up the protracted transfer, and Porto released a statement to the Portuguese Securities Market Commission (CMVM) indicating they were paid £24.4m for just 56.57% of the player’s rights. Since third-party ownership is outlawed in the Premier League, the remainder of the fee is reported to be split up between so called super-agent Jorge Mendes, who will receive £14.2m, while Mangala’s former club Standard Liege are set to take £4.3m.

Mendes’ clients include the likes of Jose Mourinho,  Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez, while he was essential in bringing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Costa to England.

Undeterred by his price tag which sees him become the world’s second most expensive defender behind Paris Saint-Germain’s David Luiz, Mangala admitted he was keen to make an impact in the biggest league in the biggest league in the world. Pellegrini meanwhile, also expressed his delight.

“He is already a fine player but in my opinion, he has all of the mental, physical, technical and tactical attributes to become one of Europe’s very best defenders,” he told the club website.

“Eliaquim is a player I believe will make an immediate impact in the Premier League, thanks to his physicality, his reading of the game and quality on the ball.”

The signing casts doubt over Matija Nastasic’s future at the Etihad Stadium, after he started in the champions’ 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Arsenal in the Community Shield on Sunday.

–Independent.co.uk