Premier League champions Manchester City have completed the signing of Switzerland-born Nigerian defender Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund.
The Cityzens announced that Akanji has put pen to paper on a five-year deal.
“Manchester City have completed the signing of Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund,” City stated in a release on their website.
“The 27-year-old centre-back arrives on a five-year deal, which keeps him at the Club until the summer of 2027.
“A 41-cap Swiss international who has won trophies in Switzerland and Germany, he follows in the footsteps of Stefan Ortega Moreno, Kalvin Phillips, Sergio Gomez and former Dortmund team-mate Erling Haalandto become our fifth signing of the summer, with Julian Alvarez also arriving following his loan spell with River Plate.
“Akanji began his career at FC Winterthur in his homeland before moving to Basel, where he impressed enough in his three seasons to convince Dortmund to swoop for him in January 2018.
“He made 158 appearances during his four-and-a-half year stay with the Black and Yellows, winning the German Super Cup in 2019 and the German Cup in 2020/21.”
Speaking after completing his move to City, Akanji said on mancity.com:“I am delighted to be here, and can’t wait to get started,” Akanji told mancity.com after completing his move to the Etihad Stadium.
“City have been one of the best teams in Europe over the last few seasons. They are brilliant to watch, play an exciting brand of football and compete for trophies year in, year out, so coming here feels like the perfect next step in my career.
“Pep Guardiola is an exceptional manager, and this is an exceptional squad of players, so this is an exciting opportunity for me.
“I am really looking forward to testing myself in the Premier League and I will do everything I can to help this Club be successful.”
4 Comments
It seems if am coming into the NEXT LIFE as a FOOTBALLER, I Will have to ADOPT another COUNTRY as my HOME..
It seems that will be the SECRET to BOOST my MARKET VALUE
Now you’re beginning to understand. Is David Alaba not a Nigerian? or Saka? or Ogbonna? or Tomori? or Ross Barkely? The quality of Nigerian players playing for other countries is better than the quality of Nigerians playing for the Super Eagles, and they have a higher value on the transfer market.
We no tellu… we tellu oooo… u no gree hia!
@Tristan Nigerian players that came out of Naija and went to Europe have No balls no confidence, easy to be Stuck in Comfort Zone because of the first monet they find themselves enjoying. The most Annoying being Kelechi Iheanacho and wilfred Ndidi as well as Samuel Chukwueze (Barring his move to Everton suffices) but even Chukwueze everton a down grade from villareal. Liverpool, wanted him at some point but as usuall Nigerian players will stay mute as long as thier are chopping thier first millions or rather thousands. ZERO Ambition especially Kelechi Iheanacho that guy is happy to chop bench as long as he gets paid no drive to improve. Osimhen is following suit he will wast in Napoli mark it. They have ZERO BALLS AND NO AMBITION!!! PERIOD. Only our Dual nationality have fighting spirit look at Bassey 1 chance he jumped to test himself in Ajax. It is that European mentality Nigerian players born and breed in Naija have a inferioty complex in Europe is what i am finding out now. our Dual Nationality with big talents i.e Bassey have more self belief in thier abilities than Nigerian talented players that came out of poverty from Nigeria. Is it inferiority complex sad to say it may just be
European leagues and countries are most afraid of the talent available to Nigeria, which is both domestic and external. Foreign-born players have to be very careful before they choose to play for Nigeria.
They have to make sure that they’re not needed by the country of their birth and residence, otherwise, they will be faced with covert and subtle media undermining that affects their transfer value and positive image as competent footballers.
Once they choose Nigeria their club aspirations (the quality of clubs that would sign them) are capped. This is most notable with Alex Iwobi, once one of the most talented junior players at Arsenal.
For Nigerian-born players, their careers are easily curtailed by monetary gain. Once they see $1000 a week, and they can take care of their families they lose appetite for the aggression and fight required. After all, if they become injured they would lose income to take care of their families.
They are also subject to bad decisions and discrimination. They all too easily leave clubs, where they are successful, to join mediocre clubs where their talents are subdued. Very often ending up as squad members and substitutes despite a successful performance at a previous club.
As a result, they rarely recover their playing esteem as their formerly high confidence is damaged.
The pattern already established is that a Nigerian-born player has a very successful couple of seasons at a European club, and he is transferred to the English premier league. He is not given enough starting games to establish a starting place, then he is used as a substitute for the rest of the season.
In his second season at the new club, he has lost visibility i.e. everyone has forgotten about him; he may continue to be sporadically used as a substitute. But by his 3rd season, he is transferred to the 2nd division. At this stage, his career as a top-level footballer is over.
For players in this position, the time to get out of the club is when they want to transfer you to the 2nd division, better you go back to the club or country where you found success.