City boss Manuel Pellegrini continued his summer of big-money buys yesterday by acquiring Alvaro Negredo from Sevilla. The 27-year-old arrives at the Etihad on a four-year contract for a fee initially believed to be in the region of £16m, with an extra £4m in add-ons. City’s third new signing of the close-season, following the purchase of Fernandinho and former Sevilla team mate Jesus Navas, the Negredo deal preceded the arrival of Stevan Jovetic as Pellegrini sets about restructuring his options up front
The History
A product of the Rayo Vallecano youth academy, Negredo racked up 14 goals in 15 appearances for the club’s B team in 2004/05 and, subsequently promoted to the senior side, notched once in 12 matches in the same season. Snapped up by Real Madrid in the summer of 2005, the forward spent two years at the Bernabeu but failed to make a single La Liga appearance – demoted to the B team, he notched 22 times in 65 matches before Almeria came calling in July 2007.
Installed as a first-team regular, Negredo immediately displayed his clinical eye for goal, with 12 strikes and four assists in 36 appearances over his first year with his new club. Stepping up another level the following term, he notched 19 goals and five assists in just 34 matches before Madrid exercised a buy-back clause in the summer of 2009. Rather than hand him a chance to nail down a starting berth, Madrid simply sold the forward to Sevilla for a healthy profit.
Over three seasons at Sevilla, Negredo established himself as one of the most lethal frontmen in Spanish football. His first two seasons harvested 34 goals and 11 assists in just 68 appearances before he notched an impressive 25 goals and four assists from 36 matches in 2012/13 – the fourth highest strike rate in La Liga last term, behind Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Radamel Falcao. Negredo ended his Sevilla career with a bang, firing all his side’s goals in a 4-3 win over Valencia. On the international stage, he has struggled to nail down a regular role – from 14 appearances, he has managed to find the net six times.
The Prospects
While the arrival of Fernandinho and Navas will inject pace and dynamism to the City first-team, Negredo’s role will be that of penalty box predator under Pellegrini. His scoring record stands testament to the Spaniard’s ability to turn half-chances into goals and, standing six foot one, his aerial threat could thrive as City seek to utilise the flanks more often this season after a somewhat one-dimensional approach in Roberto Mancini’s last term at the helm.
Fielded as the main forward in a 4-2-3-1 system by Sevilla, Negredo is clearly capable of leading the line alone. Compared with Sergio Aguero and Jovetic, he’s more of a traditional type of centre-forward and seems best-suited to be utilised in the advanced role if Pellegrini is looking for a more powerful option up top. As mentioned in the Moving Target piece on Pellegrini, though, he has a tendency to pick his side in accordance with opponent – indeed, it may transpire that the versatile Aguero’s ability to tuck in behind a lone forward or lead the line effectively may still make him the best bet for regular game time.
Certainly, the new boy’s arrival doesn’t bode well for Edin Dzeko – the Bosnian appeared to have moved up the pecking order after Carlos Tevez left for Juventus but is a little too similar in stature to be fielded alongside Negredo, with the latter’s strong work-rate, superior mobility and intelligent movement inside the box also in his favour. The Spaniard is also likely to challenge to the position of number one spot-kick taker; a factor that would certainly boost his appeal from a Fantasy perspective.
Having managed just 66 goals in Mancini’s last season, City’s main attacking assets have suffered a drop in price across the Fantasy games. The likes of Aguero comes in at 11.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) but is expected to benefit from Pellegrini’s more offensive style of play after notching just 12 times in 2012/13. While Negredo won’t be priced as low as Dzeko’s 7.5, an initial cost of around 9.5 could be on the cards and with home games against Newcastle and Hull, in addition to a trip to Cardiff in the opening three Gameweeks, City look primed for early-season investment.
Undoubtedly, a regular role at the head of his side’s attack would see many clamber aboard the Negredo bandwagon but with the forward options available to Pellegrini increasing significantly, it may well be déjà vu all over again, with many opting for the midfield security offered by Silva instead. Fantasy managers will be keenly assessing the pre-season situation for any indications – with a handful of friendlies still to follow, the picture will hopefully be a little clearer as we edge towards the new campaign’s kick-off.
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