For one day in South Africa, fears the Jesus Navas purchase would cost Samir Nasri playing time seemed ill-placed, with the French international starting up top with Edin Dzeko as Manchester City lost Manuel Pellegrini’s Sunday debut, 2-0 to Supersport United. Of course, Nasri is not a forward and is not going to be a forward, but with only Sergio Agüero joining Dzeko among Pellegrini’s current striking options, Nasri was pressed into action for City’s match in Pretoria.
It’s a situation that should be rectified very soon, with the problem so pressing that Pellegrini’s willing to speak publicly about City’s obvious needs:
“It’s difficult to say a date, but before July finishes I think we will have more players,” he said after the loss . “We are not in a hurry to bring them in now but we are clear that we need two or three more players. I said before we came to South Africa that we needed to play for each position and I’m sure that we will have it.”
In terms of actual targets, that means the Álvaro Negredo connection may still be alive and well, but as The Guardian reported today, that also means a player like Fiorentina’s Stevan Jovetic (pictured) could also make his way to Eastlands. And just like Negredo, the 23-year-old Montenegrin possesses a unique profile which means he’ll be able to mesh well with both of Manchester City’s incumbent forwards.
Jovetic has the ability to be effective across the with of the defense, one who can thrive underneath Agüero, Dzeko or Negredo, serving as a playmaking presence the likes of David Silva, Navas, Fernandinho and Yaya Touré can play to while Jovetic’s partner plays closer to goal. Because he can be effective cutting in from wide, he’s not somebody who will clash when Agüero or Negredo wants to drop, and with his skill on the counter, Jovetic will allow Pellegrini to play an opportunistic style he at times prefers in big games.
With that kind of profile, it’s no wonder prices around Jovetic were around $45 million in late spring, when he was linked with Arsenal. Since then, the summer’s proved to be more of a seller’s market than originally anticipated. If Fiorentina ever wants to maximize their return on Jovetic, there’s no better time than now, particularly after Mario Gomez’s arrival.
For City, those type of prices are unlikely to dissuade them. Instead, the priority will be getting their new boss the pieces he’s requested. If the Citizens end the summer with Agüero, Dzeko, Jovetic, and Negredo, Pellegrini can have no complaints.
