Introducing Costel Pantilimon: Manchester City's Romanian Giant

As is my customary duty during the summer after a tiresome day at work, I came home last week and immediately checked to see whether there was any transfer news surrounding my beloved club, Manchester City.

To my great surprise I saw a news item that City has signed a new goalkeeper as backup for Joe Hart. When I read the name, my first reaction was Costel who? After being linked with so many high profile players in recent days, this really came as quite a surprise to me.

Being an avid fan of the Football Manager game, I also started wondering that if this guy was any good, surely I would have noticed him before.

However, when I got to see that he is the current Romanian international goalkeeper, that kind of put my mind at ease a little bit because it told me that at least he is of international caliber. Moreover, the fact that clubs like Arsenal and Inter Milan were keeping tabs on him certainly seemed to be another positive aspect.

Ever since Shay Given signed for Aston Villa, City have been on the lookout for a second-choice goalkeeper. I have always been a big fan of Given, and I would have loved it if he stayed on for another season. But deep within I knew it was time for him to move on because frankly speaking, he was simply too good to act as a backup goalkeeper.

Now the question is, did Manchester City really need an understudy for Hart? In my mind, the answer is obviously yes.

No offense to Stuart Taylor, but City honestly needs someone with more international exposure to perform the role in between the sticks in case Hart gets injured.

Taylor is undoubtedly very agile and has reasonable reflexes, but the things that go against him are his kicking ability and distribution, which are mediocre at best. Being a goalkeeper (for a little-known amateur club), I know for sure that the ability to deliver a long, accurate punt can sometimes be the decisive factor in a crucial match.

Before this transfer deal materialized, City were linked with Thomas Sorensen. Although his experience would have counted for something, his age meant that the reported €4 million which Stoke asked for the player was simply too much.

Moreover, Timo Hildebrand was reported to have been given a trial by City during the pre-season tour of the United States. At the time, I thought maybe if he can prove himself, this might be a good deal, because the club will get a decent backup keeper for free. He used to play for the German national team after all.

But still there was a lingering doubt in the back of my mind that he might not be good enough anymore. Being a keen admirer of German football, I have noticed the sad decline in the career path of Hildebrand. Hence, I was not totally surprised when that move did not materialize.

Anyway, coming back to the new signing, since I honestly did not know much about him before the news broke out, I immediately set myself the task of learning a bit more about Pantilimon. From what I have gathered thus far, I must say that he seems like a decent acquisition.

Born in Bacau, Romania, Costel Pantilimon started his goalkeeping career as a 16-year-old kid for his hometown club, Aerostar Bacau. He represented the Romanian U-17 and U-19 teams during that time and played nine matches for the club before transferring to Poli Timisoara on 1 February, 2006, which incidentally happened to be his 19^th birthday.

Initially, Pantilimon was the second-choice keeper for his new club and spent most of his first season there playing for the reserve team. However, he soon replaced Marius Popa as the number one keeper for Timisoara and made his debut for the first team in March, 2007, against Dinamo Bucharest.

Since then, he has even gone on to captain the side once, in the absence of some key players, which suggests he is certainly an influential character, despite his young age. That is surely something you would like to see in a goalkeeper.

As far as his international career is concerned, he has also represented Romania at the U-21 level and is now a regular member of the national team, with 13 caps to his name already.

He made his debut for the senior side on 19 November, 2008, in a friendly match against Georgia, at the age of only 21. His best performance to date in national colors came in a recent European qualifier against France at the Stade de France. Even though France won the match 2-0 in the end, Pantilimon was in inspired form that day, pulling off a string of impressive saves that earned him the man of the match award, despite being on the losing side.

Overall, he has made 93 career appearances thus far and more will surely come in City colors. Standing at 6'8" (or 2.02 m) tall and weighing nearly 100 kg, he is certainly a giant and an intimidating figure between the sticks.

From what I have seen, Costel’s best attribute is probably his handling of the football. He uses his height to jump high and more often than not, collects crosses cleanly. Even though his physique might suggest otherwise, he is actually quite agile and also has good reflexes, both of which are vital attributes for a goalkeeper.

Pantilimon showed glimpses of his talent during the Europa League pre-qualifiers against City last season, and he has only improved since then. Even though he was rarely linked to City in the past, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that the club’s scouting team must have kept track of his progress throughout the season, before they finally made the move to sign him.

Since a goalkeeper is generally expected to reach his prime at the age of 30, being only 24 now, the best is certainly yet to come for Costel. He has the potential to succeed at the highest level and under proper guidance, he should reach his full potential a few years down the line.

In the meantime, acting as cover for Joe Hart will mean he won’t get too many games, unless Hart gets injured. This might put his national team place in jeopardy. I am not really sure whether this move is the right one for him, considering his international aspirations, but this deal will most likely prove to be a good one for the club. The deal is not permanent yet, rather a one-year loan with the option to purchase for a reported fee of around £ 3 million during the course of the season.

At the end of the day, having an international keeper on the roster will mean that Joe Hart will always be kept on his toes. Such competition can only be good for a club as big as Manchester City.