Toure warns Bony to toughen up ahead of City move
Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure has warned £28million ($56.6m) Manchester City’s new signing Wilfried Bony to toughen up if he is to succeed at the Etihad Stadium.
Former City star Toure said of his 26-year-old compatriot: “This is another step for Wilfried. He needs now to be mentally really strong because there are tough players there and the competition is tough.
“For him, it’s the next level. When you play for City you have a chance to be champions, which is amazing for him.”
Fee agreed
City have already agreed a fee with Swansea, and all that are left to be ironed out are personal terms
Bony is expected to join the defending Premiership champions once his African Nations Cup assignment in Equatorial Guinea is over.
City midfielder Yaya Toure also hailed Bony as a “great player”, and believes that his arrival will be a great boost.
He said: ““If you have the ambition to be at the top of the Premier League, you need to recruit great players and Bony is one of today’s great players.”
Bony, who has scored nine goals this season, netted the most Premiership goals in 2014 — 18.
Lukaku more value - Martinez
But not everyone is convinced that City have got themselves the best deal.
Everton paid the same fee of £28million for their club record signing Romelu Lukaku before the start of this term.
And Toffees manager Roberto Martinez thinks they got the better bargain, not City.
Lukaku, 21, scored 15 league goals last season, only one fewer than Bony. This term, the Belgian international has netted eight times in all competitions, while all of Bony’s nine goals have come in the Premier League.
He said: “I always said the age of Romelu was a real plus. He is someone who has already played in a World Cup, has participated in the Premier League for many years, has a lot of experience and has scored a lot of goals already.
“It just shows you what a young man he was when he started his career.
“The valuation obviously is high — it represents our record transfer fee — but you look around at other strikers of similar potential at that age… and I think it shows you that Romelu is a bargain.”
Source: Liverpool Echo, Daily Express, Manchester Evening News
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