Manchester City are off until Aug 7, when they host Real Madrid in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie. However, there is still a lot of news to cover today, especially so in the transfer market. City have landed their first major signing of the summer transfer window, agreeing to a £41 million fee for AFC Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake.
That’s according to the PA news agency, who report the deal consisting of a guaranteed £40 million, with potential add-ons rising the sum another £1 million.
Chelsea had a buy-back clause in the deal that sent Ake to Bournemouth in 2017, but the southwest London club is reportedly not interested in the 25-year-old. Ake, who made 121 appearances for the relegated Cherries, is exactly what City needs in their back line right now.
This window has also seen Man City address another major area of need, winger depth, by acquiring Valencia’s Ferran Torres. ESPN FC write that “City are set to pay €23 million plus add-ons for the Spain Under-21 international. Negotiations are ongoing but City are hopeful of concluding a deal.”
Finally, Spreadex, a financial services and sports betting firm, released their season-long Player Performance stats rankings yesterday, and City midfield maestro Kevin De Bruyne topped the long list.
Finishing level with Thierry Henry’s record of 20 assists in a season, the Belgian was easily the best player in 2019/20, finishing with 236 Spreadex points above 2nd place, which belonged to his position group mate, Rodri.
De Bruyne collected 3270 Player Performance points, with a system that works likes this: 25 points per goal, 10 per assist, 10 every time the woodwork is struck, five for a shot on target, five for a blocked shot inside six yards, three per free kick won, two per off target shot and two for every completed pass in the opposition half.
City had the most players in the top 20, with seven, two more than league titleist Liverpool’s five. Joining De Bruyne and Rodri in the top 20 were Ilkay Gundogan, David Silva, Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva and Kyle Walker.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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