Man City Square
Fansided

Manchester City: General signs new contract

By Jason Bardwell

SWANSEA, WALES - DECEMBER 13: Nicolas Otamendi of Manchester City arrives at the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Swansea City and Manchester City at Liberty Stadium on December 13, 2017 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
SWANSEA, WALES - DECEMBER 13: Nicolas Otamendi of Manchester City arrives at the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Swansea City and Manchester City at Liberty Stadium on December 13, 2017 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Manchester City players call him the General. Pep Guardiola calls him Superman and last season Manchester City fans would have just loved to have called him a Taxi! I think it’s fair to say a lot of things have changed in the last twelve months for Argentinian Nico Otamendi.

With eighteen months still left on his contract, it shows the advances he’s made. Signing a two-year extension recently, Nico has committed his future to the Blues. Taking him into 2022 he would be 34 years old and have won the Champions League at least twice!!

Manchester City have been on a crusade recently to tie down their main men. David Silva and Kevin DeBruyne recently sat down to sign, while deals are in the offering for Raheem and Leroy. With Otamendi signing his, it cements the comments that he is Pep’s Superman.

This season, for City, he has already scored more goals than he has in the previous two seasons combined, and doubled! In fact he is only one goal away from his best season at Valencia and Porto. His first season at both clubs saw a return of six goals.

Fans and pundits alike don’t always get to see what goes on behind the scenes. Guardiola said of Nico recently that City couldn’t have done what they have if it wasn’t for him. The suggestion was that he has been playing through pain in his ankle and knee. With John Stones and Vinny out at various times, we certainly needed Otamendi back there.

I am sure that now fans know that they appreciate his efforts this season even more. For the player it was clear he enjoyed being in Manchester and didn’t have to think too long about signing, saying this:

"I’ve enjoyed my time at City since the first day I arrived and I’m really happy to have extended my stay here by a couple more years."

Fans of all teams, not just City, want players to be proud of playing for the shirt. I think Otamendi comes into that category both with his statement above and also playing through the pain barrier for our club.

Next: Nico: Speaking The Language

He also spoke highly of the manager, Pep Guardiola, who has got him to perform as we expected when he first arrived. That was summed up in another quote from him when he said this of club and coach:

"My only aim is to help the team and give all I can for this club. I am learning every day under Pep and enjoying my football and I feel I can still improve as a player."