Michail Antonio has claimed that Manchester City have a current player in their squad who has been a better signing than Yaya Toure.
Considering Toure is one of the greatest players in not just the club’s but also Premier League history, that is a bold claim.
The Ivorian legend’s impact during the league was to such a degree that his all-conquering displays opened the world’s eyes to how influential a midfielder could be.
Yaya Toure was the embodiment of the term, “complete package” in footballing terms.
In the past, the Premier League has witnessed physically gifted midfielders also be incredible technicians, such as Patrick Vieira and Steven Gerrard.
But especially when the Manchester City icon was at his best, he seemed like he could demolish any team in world football without breaking a sweat; a quality Vieira and Gerrard may not have had to the same extent.
Michail Antonio says current City player is a better signing than Yaya Toure
From a City perspective, the midfield maestro was as influential as possible in their success.
Before the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva started to dominate proceedings, it was Yaya Toure who was the man for the big moments, especially for Manchester City teams that were yet to achieve much.
When the Sky Blues were taken over, the question was how long it would take for them to break their trophy drought.
In the 2010/2011 campaign, Yaya Toure scored winners in the FA Cup semi-finals against Manchester United and in the final against Stoke City to put such questions to bed, proving he was a big-game player even in his debut season.
The year after, Toure emerged as one of the league’s most in-form midfielders as his side were crowned the champions of England.
Under Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini, the retired powerhouse was a force to be reckoned with.
Alongside names like Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta, the decorated technician helped City start to be taken seriously as a top club as they started winning trophies.
Despite the tremendous impact Yaya Toure had in a Manchester City shirt, Michail Antonio has claimed that Kevin De Bruyne has been a better signing for the club.
“Yes! 100 per cent”, he said about De Bruyne being City’s best-ever signing on The Footballer’s Football Podcast.
“Oh, Yaya Toure! I didn’t even say Yaya.”
“He’s better than Yaya Toure.”
Kevin De Bruyne has been a better signing for Manchester City
In our view, it is tough to disagree with Michail Antonio because as remarkable as Yaya Toure was, he has not been a better signing for Manchester City than Kevin De Bruyne.
For starters, the £54 million man has performed at higher levels than Toure has at the Etihad Stadium.
Secondly, the 32-year-old has been the fulcrum of the greatest Sky Blues team in history, leading them to win every possible trophy in club football, as opposed to Yaya Toure.
While one could argue whether Toure was always the protagonist at City, De Bruyne certainly has been during his time at the club while also having more longevity.
Not only has the Belgian spent one more year at Manchester City in comparison to Yaya Toure but he has also been more consistent, having remained world-class all this while as opposed to the latter, who fizzled out after five years at the very top.