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Man City throw another €71.5m at defensive woes with Dias capture

Manchester City have completed the signing of Ruben Dias from Benfica.  The Portugal international c...


Man City throw another €71.5m...

Sport

Man City throw another €71.5m at defensive woes with Dias capture


Manchester City have completed the signing of Ruben Dias from Benfica. 

The Portugal international centre-back has cost City €71.5million, with Nicolas Otamendi swapping the Etihad for the Estadio da Luz.

Dias' capture means Pep Guardiola has now spent a whopping €438million on defenders alone since his arrival in 2016.

John Stones, Danilo, Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy, Aymeric Laporte, Angelino, Joao Cancelo and Nathan Ake all pre-date Dias through the Eastlands entrance, to varying degrees of success.

The need to sign a proven centre-back was evident in City's 5-2 defeat at home to Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

"To have the opportunity to join a club like Manchester City is a fantastic opportunity for me and one I couldn’t turn down," Dias told City's website.

"Their success speaks for itself. They have been the dominant team in England over the last few years, playing an attacking brand of football which I feel suits my own game.

"It is really exciting to be part of such a talented squad and to play for a world class manager like Pep Guardiola, who has a proven track record of developing young players like myself.

“I believe I can improve here, at a club whose ambitions match my own and I will give everything to be successful and win titles."

City's director of football Txiki Begiristain says they've been tracking Dias' progress for some time.

"He has developed into a real leader and as a defender, he has all the attributes we are looking for", Begiristain said.

"He is strong in the air, good in one v one situations and technically, he is very good, so we are confident he can thrive in our system."



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Benfica DIAS Guardiola Man City Manchester City Nicolas Otamendi Otamendi Pep Guardiola Ruben Dias

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