Assessing Manchester City's Summer Signings on Their Performance so Far

With Manchester City on their worst run of form since 2009 as Mark Hughes’ ill-fated tenure was drawing to a somewhat unsavoury conclusion, the need to win against his current side, Stoke City, at the Britannia on Wednesday is clear.

Manuel Pellegrini finds himself under some pressure for arguably the first time in his City career, with his side now seven points adrift of Chelsea with just 14 games to go. The joy of their title win back in May has dissipated all too quickly.

Much of the blame is being laid at the door of the summer signings. Many believe City haven’t progressed since last season, which is eerily similar to their meek title defence in 2012/13.

So how has each one fared?


Eliaquim Mangala

For a number of different reasons, the most difficult signing to assess is Eliaquim Mangala, who arrived from Porto after a long chase that nearly saw his arrive last January.

Firstly, his transfer fee has been the subject of conjecture, with the initial £32 million reported by BBC Sport now being challenged by journalists, such as the Guardian’s Daniel Taylor, who believe it to be in excess of £40 million.

Whichever way you slice it, Mangala cost City a large chunk of their FFP-affected net spend for the season.

Alessandra Tarantino/Associated Press

Secondly, his performances so far, many of which have been nervous and unconvincing, are at odds with the huge potential he appears to have. City may not have a Premier League star right now, but Mangala, some feel, possesses the tools to get there eventually.

He has, at times, impressed with his pace, strength and athleticism, which is particularly eye-catching and promising. However, too many moments of madness, nervousness and stupidity have undermined much of his good work.

He’s been hit and miss so far, but arguably has a bright future.


Fernando

Another addition from Porto, Fernando, like his teammate Mangala, has struggled to adapt.

Uncomfortable in possession and often sluggish in his movement, Fernando has been a liability so far in his City career.

A blistering start saw him impress against Newcastle and Liverpool in the opening games of the season, but an injury in the next game, the defeat to Stoke, saw him miss the best part of a month and lose his rhythm.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Since then, he’s been poor. He concedes possession too easily and looks uncomfortable on the ball, with his footwork a real concern. He’s been directly responsible for a number of goals City have conceded and there are question marks over how much better he has been than Javi Garcia, the much-maligned former City man he replaced.

His stellar display in Rome during City’s wonderful 2-0 over Roma reminded us of his quality, but he hasn’t shown it often enough. He needs confidence and consistency. If he gets those, City may well have a decent player, but right now it’s fair to say he’s underwhelmed massively.


Bacary Sagna

There’s no doubt City needed a backup right-back this summer after two seasons of overreliance on Pablo Zabaleta. With the Argentina star now 29, prolonging his career is uppermost in Pellegrini’s mind, and so having a player who can step in and fill his shoes was hugely important.

And with Bacary Sagna, a proven Premier League performer, available on a free after his contract with Arsenal had ran down, it made sense for City to swoop.

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Sagna has faced criticism, mainly because going forward he lacks the same quality Zabaleta possesses, but overall, he’s done well. His display against Chelsea at the end of January in the 1-1 draw was his best performance in a City shirt, and he has rarely let the side down yet.

Considering he was free and only ever intended to be backup, he’s fulfilled his role.


Willy Caballero

Willy Caballero, signed from Malaga for an initial £4.4 million according to BBC Sport, has less chances than any of the new signings to impress, but on the occasions we have seen him he’s failed to convince he can challenge Joe Hart for supremacy as City’s No. 1.

Jon Super/Associated Press

His distribution is excellent, far better than Hart’s, but he is lacking in every other area. He certainly comes nowhere near to matching Hart’s shot-stopping ability, which remains an impressive facet of the England man’s game.

For the price paid, Caballero has been unimpressive.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.