‘Absolute No-Brainer’- Former Winger Praises Manchester City New Boy | OneFootball

Carl Recine/Getty Images

Former top flight winger Pat Nevin has praised Manchester City’s new signing Ayyoub Bouaddi for his performance against FC Porto in the Champions League, calling signing him an ‘absolute no-brainer’.

Bouaddi joined the Etihad outfit during the summer transfer window from Ligue 1 side Lille for a staggering €100m, making him the most expensive teenager in Premier League history.

Manchester City were looking to bolster their midfield following the departure of Rodri, and the Moroccan was already a highly regarded talent in world football.

Bouaddi made his first start for the Cityzens in their Champions League opener against Porto on Tuesday evening, featuring for 75 minutes.

He played his part in helping the club secure a 2-0 victory over Porto, making a positive start to their Champions League league phase campaign.

Former top flight winger Nevin described signing Bouaddi as an ‘absolute no-brainer’, praising the youngster’s quality and suggesting that his ability is clear despite his young age.

The former winger was particularly impressed by how the 18-year-old appeared to have more time on the ball than those around him, although he noted that the midfielder tired in the second half.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “Bouaddi is an absolute no-brainer. He’s brilliant.

“You get him at that age and you don’t think he might work, he is a class act.

“He tired in the second half but before that he just looked as if he was playing a different game from everyone else because he developed so much time for himself.”

The Etihad outfit were very busy during the summer transfer window, making several big-money signings to strengthen their squad.

Manchester City secured the signatures of players like Enzo Fernandez, Elliot Anderson and Iliman Ndiaye, while selling players like Savio, Tijjani Reijnders, James Trafford and Bernardo Silva.

The Cityzens also offloaded players on season-long loans, such as Omar Marmoush and Jack Grealish.

It was suggested that Everton ‘would cover up to 90 per cent’ of Grealish’s wages to secure the player on another loan.

Meanwhile, Manchester City, who have started their new era under former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, have made an ideal start to their Premier League campaign by winning all of their league games so far.