'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Manchester City have developed into one of the most formidable sides in European football at present. Pep Guardiola's got them playing some really free-flowing and elegant football which has helped them win three Premier League titles in the last five years.
The Cityzens are in pole position to claim another top-flight title this campaign. Although today, everyone remembers Manchester City as this well-drilled machine that loves to play possession football and can embarrass any side on any ground, this was not always the case.
Manchester City have had some big flops in their ranks
After a lot of trials and errors, they have constructed some of their best teams over the years, which definitely includes Roberto Mancini's history-making Premier League triumphant side. Naturally, in a process like this, clubs find some crown jewels, players of absolute importance and sometimes they miscalculate.
Manchester City are no different and have had enough miscalculations in their transfer history as well. Highly rated players, in a rich vein of form, arrived at the Etihad and their performances afterwards harmed their own reputation. Here are five of the biggest flops in Manchester City's history.
#5 Nolito
Nolito did all sorts of weird stuff at Manchester City and even ditched learning the the language that could have helped him settle in England. What he did not do was enough goal-scoring, the primary reason why Pep Guardiola signed him in 2016 for €18 million.
At Celta Vigo, the striker played predominantly on the left wing, but was versatile enough to switch to the right. He arrived at Manchester City on the back of three very successful seasons in La Liga, having scored in double figures in all of them. In his last two campaigns in Spain, Nolito emerged as a complete striker and even recorded 13 and seven assists respectively.
The Spaniard had the ingredients to become a Pep Guardiola forward, but he put in little effort to make things work for himself in England. On the field, he had moments of poor conduct and temper, where he was sent off for a crazy headbutt on Adam Smith of Bournemouth. A month later, he did something similar against West Brom, but the striker escaped unpunished.
In 30 appearances for Manchester City, Nolito could only score five goals and provided six assists, with none of those performances particularly standing out.
#4 Benjamin Mendy
Manchester City broke the bank to sign Benjamin Mendy from AS Monaco on the back of a Ligue 1 winning season. The left-back was in the form of his life and was rightly being hailed as one of the best in his position in Europe. But the defender, who once used to be a workhorse for former clubs Marseille and Monaco, failed to maintain his fitness in England.
So Guardiola's team had paid €57.5 million for a player who, in his four seasons at the club, failed to even touch the 20 Premier League appearances mark. Mendy also became the weak link in Manchester City's rearguard, with his contribution in the attacking-third being minimal.
Defensively, he was caught out of position too often and panicked when the strikers ran at him with the ball in one-vs-one situations. Injuries deteriorated the Frenchman further and he has been a shadow of himself from the Monaco days.
The 2018 World Cup winner has made only two appearances this season. He was suspended by Manchester City in the wake of rape and sexual assault charges against him.
#3 Jo
Manchester City paid a club-record fee of €24 million (we are far away from those days) in 2008 to sign an atypical Brazilian attacker, Jo. He was one of the brightest talents in Europe back then and his exploits at CSKA Moscow set him on the path to being one of the best strikers.
However, expectations soon came crumbling down as his spell at Manchester City exposed that the player was not going to make it big in Europe's best leagues. Jo only managed to score one goal in his first nine Premier League appearances and following his average performances was loaned out to Everton.
There was hope that once he adjusts to the intensity of the English top-flight, the striker will eventually come good. However, his five goals in 12 appearances for Everton were just a sudden flurry that evaporated. A loan to the Turkish league followed, but it was disappointing.
Jo returned to Manchester City and was given his opportunities in the 2010-11 campaign. This time, the writing was on the wall, and the Brazilian was evidently just wasteful, scoring thrice in 24 appearances that season.
He left for Internacional in 2011 as a free agent and restored his prolific reputation in his native land.
#2 Wilfried Bony
There was a time when English side Swansea City not only qualified for the Europa League but also competed with great tenacity. Much of that was down to their star striker, Wilfried Bony. Having come from the Dutch top-flight, the player had no issues settling in the Premier League and took no time to adjust.
From the word go, he was banging goals and as he enjoyed the form of his life, an ambitious Manchester City swooped in, paid €32.3 million and stole him from the Swans. Bony was partly responsible for his flopping. He knew he'd be playing second fiddle to Sergio Aguero most of the time.
Without regular game time, the Ivorian could not build any momentum and had serious issues bringing his best to the pitch. Roberto Mancini did give him a fair amount of chances to prove his mettle, but the Italian was not ready to build his system around Bony.
After a loan spell at Stoke City, the Etihad side sold him back to Swansea. He is currently under contract at NEC Nijmegen in Eredivisie.
#1 Eliaquim Mangala
Eliaquim Mangala must really have impressed Manchester City when they decided to break the British transfer record for a defender by signing him for €42 million. Well, hindsight is a great teacher, they say, and if it has taught us something, it's that their money went straight down the drain.
The hype around him was real and the Premier League audience were excited to see FC Porto's colossal centre-back live in front of them. He was advertised as the ideal accomplice for Vincent Kompany and the eventual heir to his legacy. What a joke it turned out to be in the end.
Mangala was reckless and unnecessarily aggressive, and his impulsive decision-making on the pitch was proving counterproductive. This is as big a monetary blunder as Manchester City ever made. Manuel Pellegrini gave him enough opportunities to settle in the side, but he lacked the composure of a high-quality centre-back.
The Frenchman stayed on Manchester City's books from 2014 to 2019, when he joined Valencia as a free agent. The 31-year old currently plays for Ligue 1 club Saint Etienne and has made only two appearances this season.
