Wilfried Bony to Manchester City: Latest Transfer Details, Reaction and More

Gianni VerschuerenJan 14, 2015

Wilfried Bony completed his dream transfer on Wednesday, leaving Swansea City to join Manchester City, where he will wear the No. 14 jersey.

Continue for updates.

UEFA Reportedly Scrutinised Bony Purchase

Sunday, Feb. 8

Simon Mullock of the Daily Mirror reported yesterday Manchester City's purchase was "scrutinised" by UEFA before it was cleared.

"
Manchester City's £28million purchase of Wilfried Bony was scrutinised by UEFA before the Ivory Coast striker was given the all-clear to join Manuel Pellegrini’s Champions League squad.
Jose Mourinho’s suggestion that the champions may still be breaching Financial Fair Play Regulations has been greeted with contempt at the Etihad.
And Mirror Sport can reveal that the delay in UEFA officially releasing City’s updated squad on Thursday was due to the European football chiefs seeking assurances that they had not broken the £49m spending cap imposed last summer.
"

Mullock continued with an anonymous statement from a City insider:

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There is no question that we have complied with the spending cap imposed by UEFA and for anyone to suggest otherwise is nonsense.
As the sale of Negredo to Valencia is guaranteed, we checked with UEFA that we were able to include the proceeds of the transfer in our calculations and were assured it was fine do so so.
Perhaps Jose Mourinho needs to take maths classes.
"

Bony to Earn Stunning Appearance Bonus

Thursday, Jan. 14.

Bony will earn a £20,000-per-game bonus when he plays for City. The Ivorian striker's wage packet will max out at £120,000 each week, according to Jamie Jackson of The Guardian, who reports on the staggering appearance fee:

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The 26-year-old striker secured the appearance fee after being denied a higher salary by the champions, who will have to pay up to an extra £3m to Swansea in add-ons. The full amount will be due if Bony features in a certain percentage of matches and the club win every domestic honour plus the European Cup.
"

Manchester City Confirm £28m Signing of Bony

Wednesday, Jan. 14.

The Manchester club's official website provided confirmation of the deal before quoting Bony, who said:

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It’s a great feeling for me, it’s a big honour to be here and it’s a great challenge.
As a player it’s always good to be part of one of the biggest clubs in the world and it’s a good opportunity for me to be in that situation now – I’m really proud.
I felt excited to wait for this moment and now it’s come, it’s fantastic.
I think it’s a great decision for me - Manchester City is in the Champions League. You remember at the end of last season I said that if I want to move it will be to a team in the competition because it’s a great tournament that I really want to play in and one that I want to win.
It’s a motivation for me to give my maximum to be in that place. City is a big club with great players with a lot of experience; I believe we can do it.
"

Swansea also issued a statement in which they confirmed the transfer represents a club-record sale, reported to be £28 million by BBC Sport:

He becomes the most expensive African footballer of all time according to Sky Sports:

Bony has already posed with a City shirt, confirming his new number among the champions' squad:

The 26-year-old only moved to Swansea in the summer of 2013 but quickly grabbed the attention of top clubs with his prolific scoring and all-round skill set, and he soon started to voice his desire to play Champions League football, per the Daily Mail's Riath Al-Samarrai.

Serving as the focal point of the Swans' attack, Bony scored more Premier League goals in 2014 than any other player, per Sky Sports:

Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe broke down what the Ivorian brings to the table, emphasising his unique blend of raw power, pace and instincts inside the box—not to mention his snappy nickname, Daddy Cool:

The Citizens already boast a number of impressive forwards, including Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic, but the trio have been sidelined by numerous injuries on various occasions the past two years.

Bony provides insurance and the raw physical power none of those three attackers have. On top of that, he's simply a very good player, according to BBC pundit John Hartson:

The big Ivorian has his flaws: He can be wasteful in front of goal at times and often appears to lose focus. He's also untested on the very highest stage, having never played for a truly top team.

But his raw athleticism and incredible instincts will translate to any squad. Bony was one of the top forwards available on the market in January, and it's no surprise Swansea found a team willing to shell out top dollar for his services.