Wilfried Bony to Manchester City: Analysis

The City manager, Manuel Pellegrini, has previously made it clear that he is keen to have 4 strikers in the squad, saying: "We are going to replace Alvaro Negredo because it was the decision that we took in the moment we sold him. We need another striker so we are going to find which is the best player to bring in." Enter Wilfried Bony, who is 26 years old and at the peak of his football career, but is he the right fit for City and how much playing time will he get?

Bony is a no nonsense striker with great poaching instinct. He is not flashy and does not have a lot of pace but he is a very confident, at times selfish, player with a good first touch, uses his head well and possesses a decent long range shot. Most importantly, however, he is extremely strong, difficult to bring down and likes to outmuscle defenders, similar to the departed Alvaro Negredo. When the Spaniard played at City, however, Jovetic was injured and Negredo shared pitch time with Edin Dzeko in support of Sergio Aguero. Now that all four of the City strikers are healthy, the most logical conclusion is that one of them would have to be sold. Rumors are abounding that Juventus is targeting the Montenegro international in a loan move away from Etihad. If this is true, then the Bony signing makes sense. Dzeko and Jovetic are similar players. Both are lanky, skilled strikers who lack physicality and are not terribly keen on defending. The Ivorian, on the other hand, is built like a "hulk" and is not afraid to get back. His partnership with City players would be an interesting one, for sure, as the level of skill and talent on the City team would only mean more opportunities for Bony to make an impact even though his penalty taking duties will be taken away.

What happens, however, if Manchester City decides to retain all 4 strikers? Who will get the majority of playing time along with Aguero? Will Bony be "content" competing with 2 other strikers for minutes while collecting a significantly larger paycheck? All these questions remain to be answered in the near future. What are your thoughts on the Bony deal? Do you think he would be a good fit at City?