5 of Manchester City's best signings since the Abu Dhabi takeover

#4 Fernandinho (2013 - Present)

Fernandinho has been imperious since he joined

When the then 28-year-old was brought in from Shakhtar Donetsk for £30m in 2013, the feeling among pundits was that the Cityzens had been “had”. It was thought that he would struggle to cope with the pace and power of the Premier League.

These fears have proven to be unfounded and wide of the mark. The understated one in the starting midfield trio last season, he has been crucial to everything good that the team have done since he joined.

With his intelligent positioning, clean tackling, a keen sense of what is going on all around him and the ability to get stuck in if need be, he has been the cog that keeps the City wheel turning and has been ever-present in the matchday squads of Manuel Pellegrini and Pep Guardiola.

Under Pellegrini, he partnered well alongside Yaya Touré to help power the side to Premier League glory in 2014. Under Guardiola's tutelage, he has evolved and become an even better version of himself. While a very physical and mobile player, he has relied more on his positional awareness to snuff out opposition attacks or start forward movements for his side.

In a style reminiscent of Sergio Busquets, Fernandinho has evolved into the archetypal central midfielder, a player who combines both the destructive and positive attributes of the world’s premier central midfielders.