Manchester City have signed Jesus Navas from Sevilla for a fee of 17 million pounds.
The winger has spent his whole career at the Spanish side having suffered from anxiety attacks due to homesickness, in the past. He even turned down a move to Chelsea when he was 20 years old due to this problem.
This problem was so extreme that, one time, his father and brother had to pick him up from a club training camp in Huelva, just an hour’s drive from Seville.
He overcame this anxiety to help the Iberian nation win their first World Cup in 2010, he also formed part of the squad that defended Spain’s European crown last year.
But after agreeing an initial £17million switch to the Etihad, Navas admitted he needed to move to the Premier League to develop as a player.
Navas said: “I’m going from Seville, which is a very nice place, and I’m going to a great club in England.
The Spaniard, whose transfer fee could eventually rise to £21m, based on appearances and success, added: “I don’t know Pellegrini personally, but I’ve heard good things about him. He’s a great coach.”
The Spanish international will offer City the width they lacked last season, but he can also play in a role behind a lone striker. He was a real crowd favourite at Seville, where he won six trophies.
Navas, who was also a target for Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers, will now undergo a medical before putting pen to paper on a four-year deal worth £100,000 a week. More than double what he was on at Seville. City are clearly ready to spend big again this summer in a bid to win back the Premier League title
The 27-year-old was a key part of the team that won the Uefa Cup in 2006 and 2007, however he was unable to take up a place in the Spain squad for many years due to fears about travelling away from his Andalusian home.
Sevilla coach Vicente del Bosque typically uses Navas as an impact player who enters the fray late in the game, when the opposition defence is tiring.
He is supremely fast. His average speed has been clocked at 20.72mph. (That equates to a 10.8-second 100m time.)
As Manuel Pellegrini begins his reign the Spaniard’s acquisition hints at a change in approach for City. The arrival of Navas surely signals a switch from Roberto Mancini’s play through the middle preference to more traditional wing play.
It was Navas who picked up the ball deep in the Spain half in the 2010 World Cup final against Holland and his burst of speed up the line set in motion the move that culminated in Andres Iniesta’s winning goal.
Despite his slight frame, he is a tenacious tackler and ball winner but has often been criticized for a lack of goal-scoring prowess. Last season he failed to hit the back of the net for Sevilla in 37 La Liga appearances.
For me, I think Navas is a very good signing as he will provide Manchester City with the width they lacked last season.