According to a piece of news courtesy of Spanish media outlet Super Deporte, Man City have transfer listed polarising defender Nicolas Otamendi after an extremely mixed 2019/2020 season at the Etihad – but his handful of horror shows shouldn’t taint his Centurions legacy.
The £120,000-per-week man, who is reportedly courting ex-club Valencia as he ponders the end of a five-year stay, signed for City back in 2015 in a £32 million deal – money which a lot of City supporters will potentially claim has gone to waste.
This campaign in particular has been one to forget for Otamendi, with Premier League legend Alan Shearer once claiming he would be ‘rubbing his hands together‘ if he were to go up against the 32-year-old.
However, during our famed 2017/2018 Centurions campaign, it’s easy to forget that he was in fact our most reliable defensive asset at one point – with manager Pep Guardiola giving him the ‘superman’ tag.
It’s no secret that the defender has played out some stinkers in the past, often being rash in the challenge and the opposite of composed in one-on-one scenario, but even this season he has impressed on occasion.
Our 2-1 victory over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu is a shining example, where the centre-back remained composed and won the majority of his ground and aerial duels alongside Aymeric Laporte as per SofaScore.
Inconsistency appears to remain a big issue, but his 2017/2018 Centurions campaign alone shows his time at City warrants some respect.
By far his best season, Otamendi started 33 Premier League games and won five Man of the Match awards according to WhoScored – all the while averaging the joint-most interceptions per 90 and coming second in terms of clearances only to Kompany.
Ex-City defender Martin Demichelis heaped praise on the ‘brave’ and ‘very clever’ Argentine last season for his performances over the Centurions campaign, waxing lyrical on City’s official website.
“His last season was outstanding,” said Demichelis.
“He showed a huge personality, too. In Pep’s team, central defenders are in a sensitive situation, playing always high, exposed.
“You have to be brave and clever and have a great ability to read the game at every moment because you always have your back uncovered.
“You have to be brave – and Nico is. One of his strengths is his ability to anticipate at all levels.”
While Otamendi’s reputation in a Sky Blue shirt has been tainted somewhat thanks to memorable blunders, supporters should also remember his stellar contributions over the years and wish him a tasteful goodbye when his time at the Etihad does come to a close.