In the year of a World Cup it is vital that you get your transfer business done early and on the back of a record-breaking season Manchester City are well on the way.
Pep Guardiola had already indicated that there would be a couple, maybe three new faces at The Etihad and two of them are as good as there.
The Spaniard has long been an admirer of the Algerian ace Riyad Mahrez and it seems that after a long transfer wrangle City have ultimately got their man.
In January there were a lot of City fans who did not want Mahrez, many believing he isn’t good enough. They are wrong.
The fact that Guardiola is still keen on him despite the shenanigans in January should be enough but delve a little deeper and that faith in the winger is easy to justify.
Some City fans have short memories, as Mahrez has regularly torn apart City’s backline and while of course he has not been quite as prolific as he was in that incredible title-winning season to say he’s been a flop is madness.
In a Leicester side that has arguably struggled in which many players have downed tools and created an unpleasant environment (particularly following Ranieri’s departure), Mahrez has still performed.
Despite playing in a side that rarely register more than 35% possession this season, the Algerian has outperformed Eden Hazard, Sadio Mane, Alexis Sanchez & Anthony Martial in terms of goals and assists.
Ask a Leicester fan and they will tell you this is even more remarkable when coupled with the lack of attacking support he receives from Danny Simpson behind him.
Further to that, he is often double teamed by the opposition as they know he is Leicester’s only creative outlet.
Now transfer that talent and numbers to Pep Guardiola’s free-flowing side and you can see why he rates Mahrez so highly.
Jorginho by contrast is a perfect fit for what Guardiola wants from a midfielder.
With Yaya Toure having left the club and Fernandinho approaching 34th year, Guardiola knows how important it is to sign another player who can cope with the extreme demands he puts on his holding midfielder.
The Brazilian-born Italian has been a key part of the success of Maurizio Sarri’s entertaining side and should fit easily into Guardiola’s system as a result, with Napoli playing a similar style to City.
In a recent interview with the Golazo podcast, Chelsea’s young midfielder Nathanial Chalobah, spoke about his season-long loan spell with Napoli during the 2015/16 campaign in which he was particularly impressed with Jorginho.
He said: ‘‘A lot of people won’t have heard of and I’ve seen him in training and he plays one touch the entire training session – I’d never seen anything like it.
"Now with the rave reviews about him I’m not surprised at all."
High praise indeed given the quality of the rest of Napoli’s squad with the likes of Marik Hamsik and Dries Mertens for company.
Crucially, both players will not be at the World Cup in Russia and so will get a full break and the entire pre-season with the champions which can only help them hit the ground running. It is a big statement of intent from City.
