The debate over whether Manchester City have overspent on Wilfried Bony is already raging after the Premier League champions confirmed the signing of the striker from Swansea in a €35 million deal.
The transfer fee makes Bony the most expensive African player in history while his €148,000-a-week salary package means City are stretching their financial capacity given Uefa’s financial fair play requirements.
Bony has signed a four-and-a-half year contract at the Etihad Stadium but he could justify the cost of his arrival by mid-May if he scores the goals that help Manuel Pellegrini’s side retain their title this season.
The 1-1 draw away at Everton last Saturday was the perfect example of a match where Bony could have made the difference in a match - and a title race - that is decided by such fine margins.
City cannot afford to rely solely on Sergio Aguero’s goals, especially given the Argentine’s injury record, while Edin Dzeko has been badly off form this season and Stevan Jovetic has fallen away after a bright start to the campaign.
Chelsea sit two points ahead of City at the Premier League summit, but with 17 games to play the arrival of Bony could be the pivotal point in the season that tips the title back in their favour.
City will, of course, have to wait for Bony to return from the Africa Cup of Nations with new team-mate Yaya Toure, but they can be confident the 26-year-old will instantly hit his stride up in Manchester.
After all, he needs no time to get used to the Premier League and arrives full of confidence after finishing 2014 as the top scorer in the calendar year with 20 goals.
His physicality and finishing in the penalty box mean he can ably lead the line as a lone striker, while he will provide an excellent partner for Aguero if Manuel Pellegrini opts to play with two forwards.
Bony’s arrival should take some of the goalscoring pressure off Aguero while the fact that he is eligible to play in the Champions League is another bonus as City prepare for their last 16 tie against Barcelona.
There will be a nagging frustration that Bony had a €24.5m release clause in his Swansea contract last summer before that was removed when he signed a new deal in November.
But City chief executive Ferran Soriano and sporting director Txiki Begiristain know they can make the numbers add up and avoid further sanctions from Uefa after failing to meeting FFP requirements last season.
For a start, Alvaro Negredo is on loan at Valencia and will join them in a permanent deal worth €30m in the summer. The hope will be that Bony can recreate a partnership similar to the electric link-up between Negredo and Aguero in the first half of last season.
Jovetic and Dzeko are also expected to depart in the summer, with the Bosnian particularly disappointing having scored just twice in 11 league appearances this season - a strike rate of just a goal every 267 minutes.
Bony, on the other hand, has scored nine in 20 matches for ninth-placed Swansea this term - a goal every 145 minutes - and hits the target with 54 per cent of his shots.
He can expect to find himself with many more scoring chances in a City shirt and has proven his ruthless eye for goal - particularly his first-time finishing - on a regular basis since his €15.4m switch to Swansea from Vitesse in 2013.
Bony is not the answer to all of City’s issues and the club will be looking to streng
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