Manchester City were most recently linked with Argentine midfield Bruno Zuculini of Racing back in July, weeks after new manager Manuel Pellegrini had signed his three-year contract at the Etihad Stadium. Few were unaware of what type of player the 20-year-old was at the time, and the rumours of his potential signing seemed to fizzle out into nothingness, as almost all rumours do. Now though, many media outlets have picked up on the story once again, and it seems the Citizens have now completed a deal for the defensive midfielder.
This news has not yet been officially confirmed by the club, but several reliable sources are reporting, and it seems the Blues are set to complete the transfer, with the player moving to Manchester next June. The deal is rumoured to be worth about €2.5 million, continuing the trend of top young Argentine prospects making the jump to Europe for cheap, a theme which has started in the last few years.
There have been many rumours linking players of the calibre of Liverpool’s Luis Suárez and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi to City already this season, but there has been little proof of any actual transfer activity on the club’s part. This appears to be the first real move made by the Blues since Martin Demichelis’ signing in late August, although this looks set to continue in January and through the summer.
Many City fans feel that their club is in need of a good young defensive midfielder, especially as fan favourite Yaya Touré reaches the final years of his career – which he supposedly desires to spend at the Etihad. Zuculini has been described as a similar player to Fernandinho, City’s new summer signing from Shakhtar Donetsk. Given the Brazilian player’s impact since arriving earlier this year, the Citizens would surely be excited to have another player of a similar mould to fill in when Yaya finally moves on.
Some would wonder where this signing leaves England midfielder Jack Rodwell if the rumours are true. The former Everton man has struggled with injuries since arriving under the reign of Roberto Mancini in August 2012, but showed flashes of his potential during his limited playing-time last season. This low amount has been hampered somewhat due to injuries and the signing of Fernandinho this season, and some are wondering whether the 22-year-old still has a future with the Etihad Stadium. If Zuculini were to sign for the Blues, then that would probably eliminate the possibility of Rodwell having a future.
If the rumours over the 20-year-old signing are true, he joins a host of young talent with Manuel Pellegrini’s side. Among talents like Marcos Lopes and Karim Rekik who are on the verge of breaking into the senior side, there are players like Seko Fofana, Jose Angel Pozo and Matias Bossaets, who are still plying their trade in the youth side. In recent seasons, Manchester City have a reputation for not bringing youth talent through into the senior team on regular enough occasions, but with an influx of youngsters joining the academy, most recently Brahim Abdelkader, aged 14, recently signed from Pellegrini’s former club Málaga.
However, Zuculini’s experience even at this early stage of his career, with one of Argentina’s traditional big five clubs makes me think the midfielder would be able to break into the Manchester City side, were he to complete his transfer to England. The former Argentina under-20 international has played over 75 league games already for his club side, and at age 20, given the size of club he is at, this is impressive. However, with a wealth of talent available to the Chilean manager in his City squad, there is always a chance the move could not work out for either party – even at the reasonably low price which is being talked about.
