Manchester City made their first foray into the summer transfer market yesterday as they announced the signing of Gael Clichy from Arsenal on a four-year deal. The left-back is out of contract at the end of next season and having indicated he had no intention of signing an extension, the Gunners have chosen to cash in on the Frenchman now rather than run the risk of losing him on a free in the near future.
The transfer, though undisclosed, was reported to be in the region of £7m and has already sparked reports that Arsène Wenger might make a move for Newcastle’s José Enrique, though in Kieran Gibbs they may have a ready-made replacement already in line at the Emirates.
The left-back slot was a real bone of contention for Roberto Mancini last season; despite buying Jerome Boateng and Aleksandar Kolarov in the summer, the City boss used five players in the position and ended the campaign no nearer to finding a solution. A move for Clichy gives Mancini a proven Premier League campaigner and with no concerns over the player adapting to a new league, the new boy should fit seamlessly into the back-four. The player spoke of his optimism following the announcement of the deal:
”I’m really happy to be joining such a great club. I hope I can add to the quality we already have here because we have a fantastic squad who I believe will continue to get better. I can’t wait to get started and I think anything is possible with this team.”
There seems to be no hard feelings as far as Wenger is concerned, with the Arsenal boss paying Clichy a glowing tribute upon his departure:
”We would like to thank Gael for eight years of terrific service to Arsenal, during which time he gave absolutely everything for the Club. He has grown and developed so much since joining us in 2003, and has been a crucial part of the team over recent seasons. Gael leaves with our respect and best wishes. We wish him the very best for his future career. “
The Statistics
Clichy played one season for French club Cannes, managing 15 appearances and picking up two assists before Arsene Wenger snapped up the then 17 year old in June 2003. He made his debut in October that but year but the first three seasons of Clichy’s career at the Gunners was spent as understudy to Ashley Cole, with 34 league appearances under his belt up to the end of the 2005-06 season.
Cole’s move to Chelsea allowed Clichy to firmly establish himself as Arsenal’s first-choice left back and, when fit, he’s been one of the first names on Wenger’s team sheet over the past five seasons, with a foot problem in 2006/07 and a stress fracture of the lower back in 2009/10 the only real disruptions to his game time.
Clichy played a total of 187 league games for Arsenal and despite being regarded as an attacking full-back, scored just 1 goal and made only 8 assists since making the left-back role his own, with his assists over the past five seasons reading (1,5,0,1,1). He has also represented his country 10 times, picking up 1 assist.
The Prospects
While it may appear Clichy offers City a left-back solution, Mancini’s selection policy since taking over at Eastlands suggests there should be no such assumptions. Joleon Lescott and James Milner were both proven Premier League first-team players with Everton and Aston Villa respectively and is spite of their huge transfer fees, neither appear to have the manager’s confidence, with Lescott’s first-team appearances last season mainly down to Kolo Toure’s suspension for a failed drugs test.
Kolarov, Boateng and Edin Dzeko all arrived last year for a combined total of almost £70m and their failure to nail down a starting role is an indication of the bloated squad available to Mancini thanks to the limitless spending power of City’s Abu Dhabi owners. After spending hundreds of millions over the past couple of seasons, the club claim their future spending will be in line with UEFA’s financial fair play guidelines and to be fair, they have been particularly prudent this summer, as they reportedly look to offload the likes of Wayne Bridge, Craig Bellamy, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Shay Given, Roque Santa Cruz and Nedum Onouha.
If Clichy can cement his place in the starting XI, there’s a definite cause for optimism; City chalked up the most clean sheets last season, with eighteen, and had the joint-best defence, conceding thirty-three goals over the season. Perhaps surprisingly, Mancini gave as many as seven players 30+ league starts last term, highlighting the possible Fantasy returns on offer if he’s convinced by Clichy.
Vincent Kompany started 37 league games last term and, at present, seems by far the safest option for those Fantasy managers eyeing up City’s back-four ahead of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) kick-off; Clichy’s Fantasy worth should become more apparent as the season unwinds but his inclusion from the start may be unnecessarily risky. With Champions League football coming to Eastlands, rotation could further diminish the majority of City players’ Fantasy prospects. Clichy’s move certainly looks like ending the prospects of Fantasy Football Scout cult favourite Kolarov though, with the Serbian’s showings at left-back last season proving too vulnerable for Mancini’s liking.
In terms of pricing, Clichy started last season at 6.0 with Arsenal and with City’s defensive performances in mind, a slight rise to 6.5 seems the likeliest of scenarios when next season’s FPL listings are introduced later this month.
