Following on from the glut of contract renewals emanating from East Manchester this summer, where Sergio Agüero, David Silva and skipper Vincent Kompany were amongst those committing their future to the Blues, another City player has spoken out about his desire to increase his stay at the Etihad.
It's fair to say it wasn't love at first sight for City fans when Martín Demichelis arrived at the club last year; not only did the then 32 year old cost £4m, the Argentine defender almost immediately injured himself in training, ruling himself out for nine matches. When he did eventually start playing for City, Demichelis' first few appearances left a lot to be desired. 'Too slow', 'past it' and 'not good enough' were just some of the more salubrious jibes thrown at the player from fans and the media alike, with the common consensus being that City manager Manuel Pellegrini had brought Demichelis in simply because the pair had worked together at Málaga.
What a difference a year makes then- or even just seven months. Few could have predicted back in February, after Demichelis conceded a penalty and was sent off in City's home Champions League tie against Barcelona, that the defender who was fast becoming a liability would be a League Cup and Premier League winner, a World Cup Finalist and a bona fide City legend by September. In the last few months of last season, something clicked between Demichelis and Kompany, enabling a fruitful partnership to develop which has seen City home in numerous matches ever since.
In a recent interview with the Manchester Evening News, Demichelis made it clear how much he is enjoying life in the Blue half of Manchester. 'I am playing every game, every two to three days, so I am just enjoying it and taking it game by game...I would be happy to stay this year and then one more year because I think I will still have the quality to play at this level.' Initially signed on a 2 year deal, Demichelis turns 34 in December, and has the most expensive defender in British football, £32m Eliaquim Mangala, waiting in the wings. City's decision whether or not to extend the Argentine's contract will hinge on how well Mangala fits into the team, even if Demichelis still believes he can do a job with the Blues.
Depsite now being considered a cult hero at the Etihad, as the above video shows, other considerations, such as home-grown quotas and wages bills, will be taken into account by Pellegrini and the City hierarchy such as home-grown quotas. Unless we see a dramatic change of from, it can be assumed that Dedryck Boyata will not feature for the Blues much, either this season or next; Matija Nastasić, another young defender, may well head back to Italy in January if the price is right. In that scenario, it would be worth City's while to keep Demichelis on the books, even if Mangala turns out to be the defensive partner Kompany has waited all these years for. A popular member of the squad, and one of City's ever-growing Argentine contingent, Demichelis has proved that he knows the ropes now, and would make the perfect stand-by if called upon.
The plan is for the former Bayern Munich man not to be first choice by the end of the year, of course, let alone next season, and with City pushing for success on four fronts, the Blues really need young legs to help them do that. Experience has it worth too though, as Pellegrini so wisely realised last season, persisting with Demichelis almost until the point of obstinacy. In the end, the detractors were proved wrong, as they so often are. Demichelis is at the twilight of his top-flight career, but, having rescued a point for City with his bullet header at the Emirates this weekend, he is still useful to have around. City ought to give his extension request some serious thought indeed.