The signing of Nicolas Otamendi by Manchester City has been announced today, with the former Atlético Mineiro star signing on at Eastlands until 2020. The 27-year-old centre-back has spent only one year playing at Valencia, where his improvement has been meteoric.
Manuel Pellegrini spoke of the signature of the player who for him was “probably been the best defender in La Liga last season”: “I am delighted with the arrival of a player of this quality, who is very, very good in the tackle and very good technically. I am sure he has the right mindset to quickly integrate here.”
The player, meanwhile, promised to give his maximum for City in what constitutes “a dream” move for him.
Otamendi is well known in Brazil for having played for Atletico Mineiro for 6 months on loan from Valencia from January 2014. In just 19 games, the Argentine who the Brazilians nicknamed “Otamonstro” became a cult hero in Belo Horizonte, thanks to his leadership, aggressiveness and will to win.
