Manchester City have garnered a reputation for being astute in the transfer market since they were purchased by Sheikh Mansour back in 2008.
City have gone on to dominate domestically, and the club have certainly not been shy to splash the cash during Mansour's time at the helm. But even though the Premier League champions have an impressive track record in the market, they have already proven that they are not immune from mishaps.
And in truth, it's hard to think of a more uninspiring signing in recent top-flight history than Eliaquim Mangala: the centre-half Manchester City acquired from FC Porto for £42million back in 2014.
Mangala arrived at the Etihad after impressing in Portugal and was scouted by City for over a year before a deal was struck for his services. However, the powerful defender struggled to live up to expectations in the Premier League and his reputation was in tatters long before Pep Guardiola took charge of the club.
After failing to over come injury issues and poor form, Mangala was farmed out on loan - but City struggled to find a permanent suitor for the beleaguered ace. He eventually left the club as a free agent in the summer of 2018 after playing just 57 Premier League games - meaning that he cost City around £1m a game after factoring in transfer fees and wages.
Unfortunately for the 31-year-old, his career has continued to flounder since leaving Manchester City. He rejoined former club Valencia on a permanent basis but managed just a handful of appearances before penning a short-term contract with Saint-Etienne in January.
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And although Mangala did repair his reputation with a positive - and injury free - spell with the Ligue 1 outfit, he is once again a free agent.
But the former France star, who was part of the 2014 World Cup squad and the 2016 team that reached the Euros final, remains adamant that he can prove he is still capable of playing at the highest level if given the opportunity.
The Frenchman recently told L’Equipe, via Sport Witness : “When they call me, I will be ready. I know my value, I know my level. In Saint-Etienne, without preparation, I chained fifteen matches together without injury. Now I just have to find the right place.”
Although Mangala is confident that he is now in the right place, physically, to thrive again, he is aware that finding a new club at his age is likely to be far from straightforward - even if he isn't best pleased by it.
He added: “A football player is a product, they buy a human being. Football is pure business and I understood that a long time ago.
"In this environment, we are also products. Today is worse. I am a 31-year-old free agent. If I had been in this situation a few years back, no problem… Today, a club will always favour a young person, because potentially on resale, there will be a profit. Society evolves like that, towards business, while the reality is on the ground.”
