#3 Nicolas Otamendi - €44.60 million
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Another central defender, yet another big money deal. Just like Mangala, Nicolas Otamendi arrived at Manchester City with a huge reputation. A unanimous choice for the very best central defender in the La Liga from the 2014-15 season, ahead of the likes of Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique, Otamendi was commanding, dominant in the air and equipped with a fierce battling style.
It wasn’t just his defensive capabilities that attracted City’s attention. His threat from dead ball situations, La Liga’s top scoring defender, something City had been lacking in the absence of injured captain Vincent Kompany.
Despite all the accolades, the Argentine is yet to completely adapt to the rigours of the Premier League. At times he’s proved to be an ideal partner for Kompany, but those have often been overshadowed by numerous moments of poor decision making. With Kompany’s injury woes and the constant rotation between Mangala and Demichelis, Otamendi has quite failed to settle in.
Moving to a new country and a completely different league is never easy, more so for a centre-back. It would be very unfair to term Otamendi among the flops this soon for he shown the glimpses of his former self at Valencia.
Producing his best performance to date in a City shirt in the Manchester Derby, Otamendi remained unfazed by the hostile Old Trafford atmosphere, shutting down Anthony Martial and Juan Mata throughout the game with absolute perfection.
