Breaking Down What Role Wilfried Bony Will Play at Manchester City

Given Manchester City’s form since the turn of the year, Manuel Pellegrini will be desperate to welcome Wilfried Bony back from AFCON duty and integrate him into his side. City haven’t played well since their Boxing Day win away at West Brom and some fresh impetus is badly needed.

Bony cost £25 million from Swansea but is yet to make his City debut because of international commitments. It remains a tantilising prospect to see him play in a blue shirt and find out whether the form he has shown since moving to the Premier League is transferable to the upper echelons of the table.

He certainly deserves a shot at a top club. His 20 goals in the calendar year of 2014 made him the top scorer in the Premier League over that period. In fact, since he arrived at Swansea, his scoring record is pretty much one in two—phenomenal given the side he was playing in and the fact he is far from just a goalscorer.

Bony is likely to have been an attractive signing to Pellegrini because of his ability to play both as a lone striker and in tandem with another forward. Sergio Aguero, City’s brilliant out-and-out striker, who remains one of the best goalscorers in world football, could be set to thrive alongside the Ivorian.

Given Aguero’s injury problems, it’s a useful alternative for Pellegrini to have a player in his ranks comfortable leading the line on his own, and Bony certainly offers that.

Edin Dzeko has for so long been City’s prime lone frontman option but question marks remain over his suitability to that role. Dzeko scores important goals and is a gifted player, yet, at times, his inability to consistently use physicality to unsettle defences can frustrate.

City need a player who can play as the focal point comfortably, and Bony has proven during his time in English football that he is more than capable of doing just that. He backs into defenders, holds them off, and can invite midfielders to join the attack or turn and do damage himself.

But more attractive for Pellegrini is the idea of Bony and Aguero playing as a pair. The Chilean favours a 4-4-2 formation with an accent on attack, and Bony, you feel, will allow him to return to that formation more regularly than in recent weeks.

Aguero’s pace and movement is complemented brilliantly by a player who can hold the ball up but also one who thrives on link-up play. Bony could well be the perfect foil for City’s killer marksman, much like Alvaro Negredo was for a short but exhilarating period.

The Negredo-Aguero partnership of the first half of last season remains one of the best in City’s recent history, and Pellegrini will surely be hoping Bony’s arrival sparks a similar reaction. At times, the two were unplayable, terrorising defences with an understanding so intrinsic it belied the fact they had only just begun playing together. City have missed that twin threat in attack ever since Negredo’s form collapsed at the turn of last year and Bony’s arrival, they hope, will be the catalyst for its return.

Like Negredo, Bony isn’t just a target man. Yes, he displays great physical strength which can be used to bully defenders (just ask Vincent Kompany), but he also has an exceptional appreciation of the runs other players make and has the vision and quality to find them.

He has an acute awareness of where his team-mates are and is technically gifted enough to bring them into play in a creative way. With the likes of David Silva, Samir Nasri, Aguero and Yaya Toure set to benefit from his impudence, his effect, which was considerable at Swansea, should now be increased.

Signing any player, particularly for a significant fee, involves an element of risk. But given Bony’s qualities and the fact he is proven in the Premier League, this deal appears to carry less than most.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard