Wilfried Bony was the record signing in the January transfer window with Manchester City paying a fee that could reach £28m, which highlights the striker premium given his inexperience at the top level. He has yet to make his debut for the club, but he is expected to feature at some point next weekend against Newcastle after returning from a successful African Cup of Nations campaign with the Ivory Coast. The forward has been an integral part of Swansea’s side for the last 18 months, but he must now go on to show his quality at the next level, which some players have failed to do before him when stepping up from other sides in the Premier League.
Manchester City went into the season with only three strikers in Edin Dzeko, Sergio Aguero and Steven Jovetic, all of whom have suffered from injury problems recently. Therefore the need for reinforcements in that area was obvious, and Bony provides pace, power, strength and Premier League goals. He offers different qualities to Aguero and may be seen as a partner for the Argentine going forward as Manuel Pellegrini likes to play with two strikers, especially at home.
This season, Bony has been exceptional for Swansea City and his influence on the side has only been highlighted by the side’s recent drop in both form and goals scored. He scored nine goals and got two assists for Swansea in the league, and his goals per minute ratio was a very impressive 144.7 minutes, which is better that a goal every two matches. If he continues to keep up that ratio at the Etihad, then City will see an instant return on their outlay. He is in good form going back to Manchester, as he was a crucial part of the Ivory Coast’s success, scoring twice and assisting a further three times. His build up play will be important to City, as he will need to bring in the side’s midfielders and operate as a foil to Aguero.
The Ivorian can score several types of goal, as he is an incredibly good finisher, while he has also been known to threaten from distance, as City will know, as he has scored a number of times against them in his short spell in Wales. Bony is also very good aerially and could be seen as an alternative option to Edin Dzeko, who has struggled to influence matches in the way he has done since joining City. Bony’s reading of attacking play is a major asset to his game, as he often spots the runs of midfielders breaking beyond him. His main weakness is his lack of discipline at times – he has seen a red card this season – which is unusual for a striker.
Manchester City will be hoping they are getting the same player who performed on a consistent basis for Swansea. His physical attributes mean that he is very rarely ineffective in a game, and that is one of the main reasons he was targeted by City. It’s evident he will be a major part of the side’s second half to the season after being named in the Champions League squad, replacing one of his positional rivals in Jovetic. The next few months will tell us a lot about Bony and his temperament, but ever since joining Vitesse, his game has grown with the clubs he has joined and I expect that to continue at the champions.
