Legend is a word often thrown around too loosely in the modern game, but boy have Manchester City had their fair share of legendary players over the last decade or so.
Yes, money has been spent on high-profile talents in the Sheikh Mansour era, but as has been shown by those at Old Trafford – and a team currently residing in the bottom half of the Premier League table – splashing the cash doesn’t always equate to success. The incoming players have to ultimately produce.
Produce is what many of those additions have done for the club in recent times, with the likes of Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Sergio Aguero all playing vital roles in steering the Citizens back to the top of the domestic and European game.
That standout trio have all, rightly, been immortalised with statues outside the Etihad, with their achievements set to live on for generations, serving as a reminder of a golden period for the Manchester side.
As the player himself has admitted, however, it is somewhat “odd” that another key figure of the early 2010s, Yaya Toure, has not received his own permanent recognition. Who can forget how good the Ivorian was at his peak?
Yaya Toure’s peak at Man City
Signed from Barcelona in the summer of 2010 as a deep-lying midfielder who could also slot in at centre-back, few could have predicted the attacking force that Toure would develop into over the next few years.
The man who kickstarted the club’s trophy glut after scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup final against Stoke City – having also scored in the 2014 League Cup showpiece triumph over Sunderland – the towering titan was simply a monster at his best, combining a mixture of physical prowess and technical brilliance to devastating effect.
That quality was particularly on show during the 2013/14 campaign, as Manuel Pellegrini’s side just about edged out Liverpool to the title, with Toure scoring 20 goals and registering nine assists in the league alone that season.
Such an individually breathtaking year may not have been replicated in the years that followed, but as former teammate Joleon Lescott stated above, few could match the now-retired star when in his pomp.
City, it must be said, have gone on to reach even greater heights under Pep Guardiola since Toure – who registered 125 goals and assists in 380 games for the club – departed in 2018, yet the 6 foot 2 ace remains a remarkably unique talent and a ‘legend’ in his own right at the Etihad.
It is then interesting to note that for all the midfielder’s uniqueness, Txiki Begiristain and co may well have allowed the second coming of ‘Yaya’ to depart in recent times…
Man City already sold the next Yaya Toure
The Man City academy has been a production line of rising stars in recent times, with the likes of Phil Foden and Rico Lewis forcing their way into Guardiola’s side, while Cole Palmer, Liam Delap et al have flown the nest to try their hand elsewhere.
Among those who have opted to move on in search of a brighter future elsewhere is 21-year-old, Darko Gyabi, with the England youth international having been on the books in Manchester up until his departure in 2022.
The 6 foot 5 prospect was sold on to Leeds United as part of the deal that saw Kalvin Phillips head in the opposite direction, with Begiristain raking in a fee of around £5m for Gyabi.
Lauded as a “truly exciting talent” by data analyst Ben Mattinson – who also noted his “dominant” presence in the centre of the park – the youngster has since gone on to earn comparisons to Toure from his former City youth colleague, Keyendrah Simmonds.
Currently on the books at Plymouth Argyle, after joining the Pilgrims on loan from Leeds last summer, it is easy to see where that likeness stems from, with Gyabi also a towering, athletic midfielder like Toure, with his ability to drive forward with the ball having been hailed as a “real attribute” by former boss, Wayne Rooney.
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Darko Gyabi’s Championship season in numbers |
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34 games |
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1 goal |
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2 assists |
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1 ‘big chance’ created |
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0.6 key passes per game |
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83% pass accuracy |
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2.2 tackles & interceptions per game |
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2.8 balls recovered per game |
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0.7 successful dribbles per game |
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55% total duels won |
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Stats via Sofascore |
That is further evidenced by the fact that among those in his position in the Championship this season, the Leeds loanee ranks in the top 15% for progressive carries and the top 20% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref, further rubberstamping those Toure-esque traits.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
The London-born starlet was also notably part of the Plymouth side that ran Guardiola’s men close in the FA Cup last weekend, with Gyabi putting in an assured performance, after recording an impressive 94% pass accuracy rate, having lost possession on just three occasions.
While chances at first-team level have been limited back at Elland Road, it might not be too long before he is shining at a higher level, with Mattinson predicting in 2023 that the midfielder’s “explosion on the scene is imminent”.
It is still early days in his career, of course, although it does look as if City may well have allowed the next Toure to depart on the cheap…
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