Even Manuel Akanji could not hide the fact that his move to Manchester City was anything but written in the stars.
While some transfer targets are established in the beginning of the summer and eventually sealed in the final days, this deal was not that. As the new no.25 put it: "It was a bit unexpected in the last stage of the transfer market, but when Manchester City asked me if I wanted to come here, I had no doubts about moving here."
Pep Guardiola had a week ago said that the club had discussed the idea of signing another central defender but dismissed the idea and would only do it if they woke up one morning and felt like it. What changed then?
Also read: Erling Haaland makes Man City giddy and threatens Premier League reputation
Injuries to current central defenders cannot be ignored. That isn't to say that problems with Nathan Ake and Aymeric Laporte are worse than feared, but more that a familiar problem has reared its head.
City nearly blew the title race on the final day with veteran midfielder Fernandinho filling in at centre-half, and the presence of just two fit central defenders in the squad for the last two matchdays is not sustainable for an assault on four competitions. Guardiola is well aware that Dias accentuated his injury issues last season by being rushed back so has no desire to do that with Laporte, while Ake and Stones have both had chequered histories with staying fit.
The solution was far from obvious though, as the Blues found out when seeking replacements for Ake earlier in the summer when Chelsea were interested; how do you find a defender good enough to play in a Guardiola side who is willing to come to a club where you won't play every week because there are already excellent players in their position? The difficulty of that was why City were content not to sign anyone else.
That is, until the Akanji opportunity popped up; the 27-year-old has been available all summer, with the player wanting a new challenge and Dortmund were keen to sell rather than lose him on a free next year. Akanji knows he will get minutes at the Etihad because of the amount of games in the season, and is integral enough to the Swiss national team not to have any concerns about his playing time at the World Cup being impacted.
There is delight at City that, in a summer window that has seen other Premier League clubs pay some very high prices, the Blues have been able to land a defender with international and Champions League experience for less money than they expect to receive for selling teenagers Sam Edozie and Juan Larios on deadline day.
The value, and the opportunity to improve the defensive cover that clearly needed attention, proved attractive enough to change their plans. In the context of the wider window, it looks like another terrific bit of business from the Premier League champions.
ALSO READ:
