Alvaro Negredo – Will City Regret Letting Him Leave?

A raft of important contract renewals, high-class strength in depth added to an already powerful squad and plenty of deadwood out; Manuel Pellegrini and the Manchester City hierarchy will no doubt consider the summer transfer window an overwhelming success. Under the stewardship of Txiki Begiristain, the club have secured lengthy extensions for a handful of the squad’s most crucial stars, injected genuine quality to areas which were lacking and have managed to ship out a number of those who needed, or were looking, to move on.

In comparison to many clubs, deadline day at City was a quiet affair with just a smattering of departures taking place. Micah Richards went on loan, initially, to Fiorentina, Emyr Huws turned his move to Wigan into a permanent one and Alvaro Negredo returned to La Liga to link up with Valencia. It is that last move, however, which raises a question or two about the make-up of the squad. In short, has Negredo’s journey back to Spain left City one striker light?

Manuel Pellegrini has repeatedly stated his desire to have two players competing for every position and the summer arrivals of Willy Caballero, Bacary Sagna, Eliaquim Mangala, Fernando and Frank Lampard reflected that wish. City are challenging on four fronts again this season and with such heavy fixture congestion Pellegrini will rotate regularly in order to maintain freshness, yet the obvious conclusion to draw from Negredo’s departure is that the Blues have now left themselves one forward too few.

It is easy to forget just how outstanding Negredo was when he first joined the club. Signed last summer, he needed no period of adaptation to impose his blend of physical strength and delicate technique on English football. Aerially dominant and unflinching in the face of robust challenges, he played like an old-fashioned bully, but to term him as such would be doing a huge disservice to his other, more intricate abilities. His first touch and awareness of what was around him caught the eye and his intelligence on the ball – of knowing when to hold on to it and when to move it on quickly – was noteworthy. Moreover, he formed a startlingly impressive partnership with Sergio Aguero, the like of which the Argentinean has not otherwise had at the club. They just clicked and it was thrilling to watch.

It terms of standout moments, Negredo doesn’t have too many – perhaps his turn and goal v Tottenham, his volley at home to West Ham and his sumptuous outside-of-the-foot pass to set up James Milner against Fulham – but that is symbolic of how he wasn’t interested in personal fortunes, rather those of the team. He was consumed by the concept of the collective. Even when his performances dropped off following a shoulder injury sustained in the Capital One Cup tie with West Ham, his attitude remained ideal. Although his form in front of goal completely deserted him, he contributed to the group, always maintaining a supportive mentality. Something that will stick in the mind with Negredo is how, after scoring a goal, rather than celebrate his own success, he would always go to the player who provided the assist. It was a simple gesture, but one that revealed plenty.

And yet he’s now gone without being replaced. Homesickness has been cited as a reason for him moving back to Spain, but from what I’ve heard, that stems more from Mrs Negredo than it did Alvaro. Despite missing Spain, he would have been happy to stay and fight for his place, but his wife failed to settle in Manchester and was desperate to return home. It may not be a coincidence that she comes from Valencia, the club that have now acquired her husband’s services. Again, that says a great deal about his values: placing the interests of his family above those of his immediate career, but City would have known about the wish to leave the club and it has to be asked, therefore, why more was not done to sign a replacement.

The trio of strikers now left at the club are Aguero, Stevan Jovetic and Edin Dzeko. Very talented players, of course, but from a cynical point of view, it could be said that the first two are injury-prone and the third is inconsistent. It does look a little light in that area. 

What we may see is a change in tactics from Pellegrini. The Chilean has been a passionate advocate of operating with two strikers in his time at the club, but it is very feasible he may now look to use just one up front more often, with an extra midfielder slotted in behind. That would release David Silva to play just off the front man, his best position and one from which he sparkled towards the end of last season. Yaya Touré can push forward, too, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him there in Champions League fixtures, with Fernando and Fernandinho forming a destructive base. Pellegrini certainly has options, but if he were to continue to play with two strikers it would look as if there is too great a burden on the three left at the club.

Removing the emotion of a fan from the deal, it is a great piece of business for the club and one which makes perfect financial sense. City signed Negredo for around £16 million and sold him a year later for (what will be) £24 million. That is a very good amount for a 29-year-old striker who was third or fourth choice and who wasn’t unhappy to leave. In terms of helping the club adhere to the Financial Fair Play regulations, it is a no-brainer, but football is nothing without emotion and it is sad to see him go. Call it a sensible business deal or very obliging from the club to let him and family depart if they so wanted to, but I just hope City won’t regret the decision come the end of the season.

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