Bony leads the Etihad exodus
PEP GUARDIOLA trimmed four unwanted stars from his squad yesterday, but Manchester City have had to heavily subsidise the deals.
Wilfried Bony, Samir Nasri and Eliaquim Mangala followed Joe Hart out of the Etihad door on season-long loan deals.
Striker Bony joined Stoke, midfielder Nasri linked up with Sevilla, while defender Mangala went to Valencia with City agreeing to pay a considerable chunk of their weekly wages.
Belgium defender Jason Denayer, who has yet to make a first-team appearance for City, was set to join the Etihad exodus with a move to Sunderland.
Stoke boss Mark Hughes backed Bony to revitalise his career at the Britannia after struggling to make an impact following his £28million move to City from Swansea in January, 2015.
He said: “Eighteen months ago, he was being bought for a hugely significant amount of money, so we know that we are bringing in a top-quality striker.
“Everybody is aware of Wilfried and what he is capable of, and it was no surprise that one of the bigger clubs came in for him on the back of his performances for Swansea.
“The only surprise has been that he didn’t enjoy the success with Manchester City that we all thought he would.”
Bony, who was in action for Stoke in a behind-closeddoors friendly just hours after signing, said: “Stoke are the best choice for me.
“The most important thing for me is to enjoy football. I need to play and enjoy life so that is why I’m coming here. I will try to show the fans my best. We will fight for them and I hope they will support us for the rest of the season.”
Stoke also completed a season-long loan deal for Porto defender Bruno Martins Indi last night, allowing Philipp Wollscheid to go out on loan to Wolfsburg for the season, with a view to a permanent move.
They also brought in goalkeeper Lee Grant from Derby on a four-month loan deal to provide additional back-up for Jack Butland and Shay Given.