Bridge'srightfoot wrote:30 million for a 28 year old defensive midfielder, perhaps the position we least needed strengthening in.
I'm not sure about this one. He really better be world class to justify the price.
More info about our new signing.
The impact Fernandinho could have on Manchester City
The caveat to this article is that I’ve only seen Fernandinho play in the Champions League, so it’s a relatively small sample size by which I’m judging him.
Presumably, the Brazilian’s most attractive attribute from Manchester City’s perspective is his passing range, and how comfortable he is on the ball. He’s listed as a defensive midfielder, but he’s more versatile than that, and he could theoretically occupy either of the positions currently belonging to Gareth Barry or Yaya Toure.
On the basis that Manuel Pellegrini will in fact be named as the club’s new manager next season, expect City to look something like this with Fernandinho in the side.

That’s the formation Pellegrini favoured at Malaga, and he’ll presumably use Fernandinho in one of those deeper roles. The value of having a two-way player in that position, is that it will allow Yaya Toure to get forward more, and into the areas in which he caused such danger at the end of the title-winning side. Alternatively, Fernandinho could push-on leaving Toure as the covering player – that’s the flexibility City have bought.
Clearly there’s an issue here for Gareth Barry; without doubt, he’s unfairly treated by the football public in this country, and the Mesut Ozil moment in the 2010 World Cup has done him a disservice. What there’s no getting away from, though, is that Fernandinho is a far superior athlete and much more suited to playing centrally in a fast-paced league – and that’s principally why this is such an upgrade. He’s a better passer of the ball, he’s quicker, he’s more of a goal-threat, he reads the game better, and he’s younger.
If I was a City fan, I’d be almost as excited about this signing as I was with the capture of Jesus Navas. In the space of the week, City have potentially cured two problem areas and made themselves significantly stronger. Navas gives them width, Fernandinho brings greater dynamism and flexibility in the middle of the pitch.
This is going to be the team to beat next season, despite all the Mourinho-bluster coming from Stamford Bridge – and that’s even before Isco’s inevitable move to The Etihad