After a chase that lasted around 18 months, Manchester City have finally completed the signing of the sought-after Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko from German Bundesliga side Wolfsburg in a deal which is reported to be around £27 million. The 24 year old is being hailed as the final piece in Roberto Mancini’s jigsaw as the Eastlands club push for the title, with the City boss recently claiming:
“We have the chance to win the league this year and the decisive factor could be Edin Dzeko. This player can decide titles and that is why we want him.”
No pressure on the new boy there, then…
The Statistics
It was reported back in 2005 when Teplice offered Zeljeznicar €25,000 for the striker they considered it an excellent offer and happily agreed. This was when the Bosnian wasn’t considered the fine, world-class striker he is today. Young prospects were judged on their technical and dribbling ability and, according to The Guardian’s Jonathan Wilson, Dzeko was considered “a bit English”.
A quick look over the player’s career statistics, especially his time at Wolfsburg – where Dzeko scored 58 goals and made 31 assists over the past two and a half seasons- shows just how prolific he can be. He has also consecutively won Bosnian Footballer of the Year (2009, 2010), Bundesliga Players’ German Footballer of the Year (2008-2009) and Bundesliga Top Scorer (2009-2010).
Because of Dzeko’s large stature he is thought of as a target man but former manager Steve McClaren says he can offer so much more than this:
“He is a very very good player and that is reflected in the price. He is a big lad, strong and quick too. But he also has good technique. But most importantly he is a goal scorer who gets them with his left foot, his right foot, his head. He can score all types of goals. That is what City are getting. He is a good buy for them.”
The Prospects
One initial question which is raised for Fantasy Managers is where the powerful forward will fit in amongst the side’s wealth of talent? The will surely mean the end is nigh for the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz, who have barely featured all season. Owners of Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli will also be mildly concerned as to Dzeko’s impact.
Mancini has signalled that City fans won’t have long to to wait to see his new signing in action, confirming that Dzeko is poised to make his debut against Wolves at the weekend:
“Dzeko will be an important player, he is very different from the other strikers we have. He will be important for the rest of the season. He will play next weekend and be available against Wolverhampton.”
It is likely the 6ft 4inch forward will become the primary striker in a forward three which City have become accustomed to this season, though this means that someone will of course have to make way. The likely candidate for limited game-time seems to be Mario Balotelli, who may have to get accustomed to cameo appearances from the bench. Brazilian striker Jo, who has been getting some rare game-time as of late, will be pushed even further down the pecking order and could struggle to even make the City bench.
If Mancini sticks with the current system, then Dzeko will surely occupy the central role with Tevez to one side and one of either David Silva, Balotelli, James Milner and Adam Johnson, on the other flank. With plenty of crosses and balls being pelted and swung Dzeko’s way, will Tevez’s withdrawn role leave him missing out on those crucial Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points? Alternatively, Tevez could also play behind a lone frontman, perhaps limiting Yaya Toure’s advances from midfield. This is all purely speculative guesswork, of course, and Mancini may be planning a complete overhaul of the 4-3-3 system with a new trick or two up his sleeve.
Now he has his target man, Mancini may wish to revert to the 4-4-2 or 4-3-1-2 formations that he used whilst managing Inter Milan. These systems had plenty of emphasis on defending as a team and then counter-attacking with the use of attacking speedy players (David Silva, Adam Johnson, Carlos Tevez, James Milner) feeding a target man, at Inter this role was given to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and, if used, then Dzeko could step in at City.
If opting for a 4-3-1-2, which Mancini could favour given his wealth of defensive-minded central midfielders (Gareth Barry, Nigel De Jong, Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany, Patrick Vieira), this would hand extra attacking responsibilities for the full-backs. Given the narrow width of the formation, the likes of Aleksander Kolarov will be expected to be free to bomb down the flank. This could then give Kolarov greater potential to pick up extra FPL points and with a current ownership of 1.7%, he may well be worth another look if we see evidence of him becoming a key figure.
Dzeko’s FPL price is as yet unknown but, going off reputation alone, one would expect it to be in the higher reaches of the valuation spectrum – somewhere in the region of 9.0. That may not put off suitors however, particularly if Dzeko cements a starting role and begins to sniff out goals. Given pitch-time and service, Dzeko has all the potential to become a reliable point-scorer to offer another much-needed attacking Fantasy option in Mancini’s lineup.
*Update 11/01* Edin Dzeko has now been added to the FPL game, with a valuation of £9.5 million.
Further Reference
Roberto Mancini Tactical Analysis
Edin Dzeko move to Manchester City pits striker in ‘my perfect league’
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