In a summer that looks poised for plenty of new arrivals to the Premier League, Man City kicked off their spending spree with the acquisition of midfielder Fernandinho from Shakhtar Donetsk. The 28-year-old arrives at the Etihad for a fee in the region of £30m and is regarded as the first step in a restructuring program as City aim for a more attacking style of play following the departure of Roberto Mancini:
The Brazilian’s arrival is believed to have been green lit by the incoming Manuel Pellegrini, whose own appointment is expected to be confirmed as early as next Monday. Fernandinho – who reportedly waived £4m worth of payments owed to him by the Ukrainian club in order to force the transfer through – spoke to the City official website upon completion of the deal:
“My ambition here is to win all the titles, the team here is strong, and so is the greatness of the club and the supporters. Professionally this is a spectacular thing. Playing for a huge club in a huge league makes me so happy. I hope I will be able to repay City for what they have done for me. I know I will face challenges but I am prepared for them. Every player at a high level faces pressure and must respond and I am ready for that too. I know a lot about City. Ever since they expressed an interest in me, I have been learning more.”
The History
Fernandinho’s career began as a teenager in his homeland with Atlético Paranaense back in 2002. He lasted three seasons, scoring 14 times in 72 appearances, before he was snapped up by Shakhtar for a fee in the region of £7m. The midfielder has spent the last eight years in the Ukraine and picked up plenty silverware over his time at the club – six Ukrainian league titles, four Ukrainian cups, three domestic Super Cups and a UEFA Cup back in 2009.
Despite plying his trade as a deep-lying midfielder, Fernandinho’s eye for a long-range effort and pinpoint distribution helped him deliver 31 goals and 38 assists in 184 league appearances, with a return of 11 goals and seven assists back in 2007/08 earning him the Ukrainian Premier League Golden Football award for best player.
On the international stage, he first caught the eye back in 2003 after scoring the winning goal in the FIFA World Youth Championship final against Spain but has failed to make any real impact at senior level for Brazil. To date, Fernandinho has represented his country on just six occasions, with the latest coming in a friendly against Bosnia in February last year.
The Prospects
From a tactical perspective, Fernandinho’s arrival will certainly add an extra dynamism to the City midfield and could prove an ideal foil for Yaya Toure in the centre of the park. The Ivorian should benefit from the presence of a box-to-box midfielder alongside him, rather than the more stationary Gareth Barry, and the duo may take it in turns to either sit or bomb forward and join in the attack.
If, as anticipated, Pellegrini takes the reins, he may well continue with the 4-2-3-1 formation mainly utilised at Malaga last time out – Toure and Fernandinho would appear to be in the driving seat for the double-pivot roles, with the likes of Javi Garcia, Jack Rodwell and James Milner all struggling for game time along with Barry.
With Jesus Navas also set to sign on over the next few days, though, the City midfield options already look a minefield for Fantasy managers. Much depends on who is earmarked for the role in “the hole” – while Navas’ pace looks ideal for the flank, David Silva and Samir Nasri offer alternatives for the support slot behind a lone forward, though the first-team overhaul looks unlikely to end there, with Isco also linked with a move to the Etihad after working under Pellegrini in La Liga.
Likely to come in around the mid-price mark in Fantasy games (6.5 to 7.5 in FPL seems realistic), Fernandinho will struggle for our FPL attentions, with plenty more attacking alternatives from mid-table teams offering better value. For those playing the Sky Sports game, however, he could well be one to monitor – the passing and tackling bonus aspect has been key to Toure’s appeal in the game over the past couple of seasons.
