Cue the Oprah Winfrey gif! And of course slightly change the text, so that “You get an official announcement! You get an official announcement! You get an official announcement!” Yes, within the past 24 hours, Manchester City have “unveiled” as they call it, three new summer transfer window signings. Two of which were even named Rayan. Just a couple hours ago, Lyon attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki joined the likes of Wolves left back Rayan Ait-Nouri and Chelsea goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli as players doing photo-opps sitting at a desk, holding a pen just above a contract sheet.
And of course “I am honoured to join the club…….” official statements for everybody!
Manchester City Club World Cup Preview: go here
“Everyone knows how good City are – they have been so successful for many years now,” reads the statement attributed to Rayan Cherki. The responsibility to help the team continue winning is something I want to embrace.
“I would only leave Lyon for a project I really believe in and everything at City suggests I can develop my game and help the team be successful in the future. I can’t wait to show City fans what I can do.”
Cherki, 21, whose transfer fee was reported to be £33.7m (€40 million, $45.6 million) will be available for selection in the Club World Cup. City opens their tournament in eight days time, when they will take on Wydad AC in Philadelphia.
So there’s three new players, and the fourth will almost certainly be AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders (who comes over on a transfer fee worth €55m).
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter