Alan Smith: 'Wilfried Bony is ideal man for Manchester City'

By Paul Gorst, Reporter | 14 January 2015

Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith backs Wilfried Bony to settle into the Manchester City squad quickly following his £28m move from Swansea City.

Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith believes that Wilfried Bony will have no problems settling in at Manchester City.

The champions confirmed the transfer of the powerful Ivory Coast international on Wednesday for a reported fee of around £28m.

Smith told The Telegraph: "When looking for reinforcements, you can certainly understand why Manuel Pellegrini would plump for someone like this. Proven in the Premier League with a very good goals-to-games ratio, Bony should not need much time to settle in his new environment.

"At 26, he is experienced enough now, both for club and country, to take this challenge on without too many problems. As shown at Swansea, he understands the demands of playing up front on his own, so allowing him to slip into a City system not too dissimilar from the one in South Wales.

"That is going to come in handy, especially with Sergio Aguero recovering from injury. No reason why Bony, once he returns from the Africa Cup of Nations with the Ivory Coast, cannot smoothly combine with David Silva, Samir Nasri and Yaya Toure."

Bony is currently at the Africa Cup of Nations with the Ivory Coast.