Man City Hope To Wrap Up A Deal For ‘The New Messi’
By Chris Wright
10% Lionel Messi, 90% Yossi Benayoun
Manchester City are hopeful of securing the signature of former Barcelona starlet Gai Assulin, after the 19-year-old Israeli flew in to England to undergo a medical at Eastlands this very morning.
Assulin, who was apparently once dubbed the ‘new Messi’ by Barca’s youth coaches, is a free agent after having his contract at the Spanish champions cancelled by mutual consent – and therefore is able to join City as soon as he passes his routine physical examinations, although the promising midfielder has already failed one round of tests at the club.
Should he sign up, Assulin would be unable to play in the Premier League (due to the 25-man squad limitations) and would more than likely be sent immediatly out on loan to help sustain his fitness.
If he really is ‘the new Messi’ (Barca wouldn’t lie to us, would they?), then this represents quite a coup for Mancini’s men – wouldn’t you agree?
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if he is really the new messi i would doubt barca would let him go
Agreed. It’s not even as if the two parties couldn’t reach a new deal either – Assulin wanted to leave, Barca showed him the exit door.
errr – isn’t this the same guy that blackburn decided against signing this summer?
@Babo: In fairness, I think he was semi-crocked at the time. Looks like a decent little player otherwise – though not quite ‘Messi’ standard.
come to think of it why would they want to release him without a fight, if he’s messi’s double? that is. I bet he comes here gets roughed up a little, gets sent on loan to preston and turns out to be a bearded crock at age 23
I’ve seen him play a few times, maybe the new Benayoun… who is still a decent playmaker, but thats about the limit i could see Gai making
I thought under 21s weren’t included in the 25 man squad limitations, though I doubt he’d make it into the city team anyway
He looks like a string puppet….
expect city to get anything that looks half decent. i bet mancini’s wish list contains another 5 million names who could all be the “next messi”.