West Bromwich Albion have rejected a surprise £18 million bid from Manchester City for former Manchester United star Jonny Evans.
The transfer window has a habit of throwing in some crazy moves. And if the exclusive report from Telegraph is anything to go by, there has been another one, with Manchester City lodging a surprise £18 million bid for former Manchester United man Jonny Evans, a bid which was swiftly rejected by West Bromwich Albion.
Jonny Evans is one of the many academy graduates from Manchester United who have been able to establish himself successfully in the Premier League. The player moved to West Brom in the summer of 2015 after spending his entire career up until the transfer at Manchester United, with a mammoth 198 senior appearances to his name for the Red Devils.
Manchester City have had an £18m bid for defender Jonny Evans rejected by Premier League rivals West Brom.https://t.co/2eFBlrdDiR pic.twitter.com/MAJqfBpGNi
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 16, 2017
And at West Brom, under the tutelage of Tony Pulis, the Northern Irish international has been a leader at the back, forging an indomitable back four, which has been the backbone of the Hawthorns’ recent success. 31 appearances in the league last season, Evans has been one of the first names on the team sheet whenever fit and available.
Manchester City’s desire for defensive additions is well documented. While they have managed to reinforce the full-back positions with the arrival of Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Danilo, the heart of defence is still understaffed, with John Stones, Nicolas Otamendi and Vincent Kompany the only senior options at Pep Guardiola’s disposal.
Elaquim Mangala has returned after his loan spell but is unlikely to stay a City player for long while Guardiola is set to use the services of Jason Denayer and Tosin Adarabioyo sparingly. City have been scouring for a domineering presence at centre-back with moves lined up for Virgil Van Dijk and Leonardo Bonucci.
Bonucci, though, opted to sign for AC Milan while Van Dijk seems to edging more towards Chelsea or Liverpool than the blue half of Manchester. Evans, however, could be a valuable addition to the first-team setup at Etihad.
The 29-year-old is a veteran in the Premier League now and with his massive experience, the player could add some much-needed steel at the back and also aid John Stones’ development into a world-class defender. Evans, though, may not be too keen on the opportunity.
The player is well established at the Hawthorns under a manager who trusts him. Also, his roots lie on the red half of Manchester and is unlikely to seek a move to the neighbours. The situation, though, may not even go to that, with West Brom swiftly rejecting City’s £18 million bid for the Manchester United academy graduate.
Jonny Evans would be a good signing for City. Good on the ball, great awareness, physically strong, PL proven. And, at 29, still underrated
— James Ducker (@TelegraphDucker) August 16, 2017
City fans would not be entirely happy with their latest move, especially with the fact that their bid was rejected by West Brom, making it even more humiliating. Guardiola on the other hand, is a manager who knows which player profiles he wants to add to his squad and there is bound to be some reason behind his move for Evans, which doesn’t seem to be coming to fruition.
