The fulfilment of a loan clause has seen RB Leipzig sign Angelino from Manchester City. The German side confirmed the deal on its official Twitter account.
The Spaniard has been on loan from the Manchester Club since the beginning of the season. He was brought back by Leipzig after a successful spell there in the second half of last season.
Leipzig will reportedly pay £16 million for the player, who has signed a contract until the summer of 2025. The permanent move was triggered after Angelino’s appearance against Augsburg.
Leipzig Sign Angelino After Impressive Spell
ANGELIÑO 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ @angel_tasende69 is here to stay! ✍️
🔴⚪ #RBLeipzig pic.twitter.com/Drb33ZoE0J
— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) February 12, 2021
Suitable Move for All Parties
Manager Julian Nagelsmann will be delighted that Angelino is staying around for the long haul. Eight goals and 11 assists across 29 appearances this season is a decent return for a forward. For a left-back, it’s remarkable.
His attacking output has been a huge weapon for Leipzig. Unsurprisingly, Bayern Munich are sat at the top of the Bundesliga table. But Leipzig are very much within touching distance, even after losing talisman Timo Werner last summer.
Angelino has been almost ever-present in the side. He has appeared in all but one of their Bundesliga matches and has played almost every minute of their Champions League and DFB-Pokal campaigns so far.
Nagelsmann has generally preferred to play Angelino in a more advanced role, which is where most of his attacking output has come from. But his defensive talents have also played a part in Leipzig’s ten Bundesliga clean sheets so far this season.
Now that he will be sticking around, Nagelsmann and the Leipzig fans can make the most of his talents for years to come.
A City Mistake?
Pep Guardiola has a vast array of talent at his disposal. If you had to pick one area of weakness, though, it would probably be on the left side of the defence.
Benjamin Mendy is the only natural option they have in that position. But his injury record is dreadful, and performances, when he has been on the pitch, have not lived up to his £50 million price tag.
Joao Cancelo, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Aymeric Laporte have also played at left-back. However, none of them are natural performers out there.
Angelino has now had two separate spells at City, and both times the club has chosen to move him on. Guardiola clearly doesn’t fancy him, which is his prerogative as manager.
But after his stellar performances in Germany, City fans will wonder why he wasn’t given more opportunities in his time at the Etihad Stadium.
Allowing him to leave, especially so cheaply, might be a decision that the club regrets down the line.
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
