Why Man City signing Diego Rosa is a good long-term investment
According to Brazilian outlet GHZ (h/t Manchester Evening News), highly-rated Gremio starlet Diego Rosa is set to complete his move to Manchester City during the January transfer window.
As per the report, the Cityzens agreed on a deal with Gremio in August to sign the U-17 World Cup winner in a deal that could potentially rise to £21million. Rosa has joined for an initial £2.65million with City set to pay another £1.75million after the youngster completes his move to the Etihad in January.
Pep Guardiola’s side will owe Gremio another £3.5million if Rosa gets promoted to the first-team squad, with several performance-related bonuses and add-ons set to follow.
The 18-year-old never made a senior competitive appearance in his homeland but has done enough at the youth level to convince City to snap him up ahead of Italian champions Juventus.
It has also been claimed that Man City are set to arrange a loan move for Rosa to one of their sister clubs – Girona or Troyes. An 18-month loan at Lommel in the Belgian second-tier has also been mentioned as an option, with the Cityzens keen to draw up a clear development plan for the midfielder.
Meanwhile, Man City have often used their financial muscle to outbid their Premier League rivals in the race to sign established stars. The likes of Bernard Silva, Rodrigo Hernandez, Joao Cancelo and Aymeric Laporte have all joined the ranks at the Etihad for massive amounts in recent years.
The Cityzens once again spent money to reshape their central defence this past summer, roping in top-quality defenders like Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias.
Indeed, City’s knack of spending big in the transfer market has seen them grab the headlines on several occasions under the stewardship of Pep Guardiola. That has largely overshadowed the kind of progress the club has made in terms of strengthening at the youth and reserve level.
City have constantly scoured the market for bright up and coming prospects to unearth hidden gems from far corners of the globe. Highly-rated youngsters like Liam Delap, Ryotaro Meshino, Pedro Porro and Ante Palaversa have all come through the door in recent windows.
Putting things into context, the acquisition of Diego Rosa represents a continuation of Man City’s aggressive youth recruitment drive. Guardiola’s side snapped up Brazilian starlet Yan Couto earlier in the year and Rosa ticks all boxes as another exciting addition to the existing group of burgeoning young talents at the Etihad.
The 18-year-old has already represented Gremio across various age-groups, featuring in the 2019 U-17 Sudamericano. He was also an integral part of the Brazil squad that lifted the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, scoring twice in 5 appearances in the competition.
The midfielder’s impressive displays on his home soil led to him being regarded as one of the brightest emerging prospects in South America and his arrival at Man City certainly represents a coup with one eye on the future.
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Verdict
Diego Rosa still has a long way to go before he evolves into a finished article capable of staking a claim for a spot in Man City’s first-team. Hence, loaning him out to some second-division club in Europe would be a step in the right direction as far as his development is concerned. All in all, City should look at the Gremio starlet as one for the future.
