Manchester City have completed the signing of 17-year-old winger Jeremy Monga from Leicester City for a fee of £10 million. The teenager, who made his Premier League debut at the age of 15 for Leicester against Newcastle United, has been on the radar of Europe's elite clubs since his breakthrough.
Monga's Rise and Potential
According to Leicestershire Live's Leicester reporter Josh Holland, Monga is one of the best teenagers in the country. “Leicester probably got the best of him or saw the best of him when they were in the Premier League because they were so low under Ruud Van Nistelrooy,” Holland said. “He'd been training with the first team for a number of weeks and then came into the squad, got his debut at 15 and just looked like a player who wasn't fazed by what he was coming up against. I think his debut against Newcastle, he gave [Tino] Livramento a tough time and that got everyone excited.”
Monga has been highly rated within the England youth set-up, progressing through the ranks rapidly. “He's very well rated in the England set-up as well. He's been pushed through the youth ranks and even when he was 15, 16, was featuring for the U18s,” Holland added.
Struggles and Resilience
As Leicester struggled in the Championship last season, Monga's form dipped, scoring only once against Preston North End. Manager Gary Rowett's arrival did not help, as he opted against playing the youngster during a relegation battle. However, Holland noted that Monga never downed tools and showed maturity in his farewell message to fans.
“There's a lot of players who did towards the end of last year and he's obviously only 17. I don't think any of the fans are going to be against him leaving and what probably rounded it off perfectly, was his little farewell message to fans, as a 17-year-old, which I thought was quite mature and quite nice to read,” Holland said.
Price Tag and Comparisons
The £10 million fee has drawn comparisons to Elliott Anderson, but Holland believes Monga has already proven his worth. “There was the real threat that when Arsenal were getting linked with him in June, before the professional contract came into place, that they were going to lose him for next to nothing. [That fear] was because he's a generational talent, and if Leicester were going to lose him for £1m, it would have been a disaster,” he explained.
Playing Style and Development
Monga's game is centered on dribbling. Holland compares him to Manchester City's Savinho: “He's very front-footed, rapid without the ball, but with the ball, he's not as fast. When he's on the ball, he's very much focussed towards dribbling and beating his man. Once he gets the decision making right, I think he'll be a nightmare to deal with because he's so quick footed and agile.”
One area for improvement is his decision-making and pace on the ball. “There are times he beats a man and he wouldn't then drive the ball with pace. He'd be a bit laid back and that allows the defender to come back and then you have to beat him again. But because he was so good, he could do that. His decision making at times probably let him down in the senior games,” Holland noted.
Immediate Plans and Loan Potential
Monga will join Manchester City's first team for their pre-season tour of Asia. Whether he will be loaned out or stay with the club remains to be seen. Holland believes the EDS would not be beneficial for him: “I think, if Monga's not going to play much for the first team, putting him in the EDS would not be the right thing to do. I think he's more than good enough to go to a Championship club and start.”
He added, “I think he could do a job in a Man City squad anyway as someone who comes off the bench. The problem is, if they're playing Real Madrid in the Champions League and someone like [Phil] Foden or [Omar] Marmoosh or whoever starts out wide, do you really turn to a 17 year old to do something? I'm not sure. It's probably a difficult one for the club and player to agree on, but he's obviously going to be training with world class players - that's only going to benefit him.”
