It is a known fact that no Manchester City player represents the new face of the club after Sheikh Mansour's take over in 2008 more than Ivory Coast's Yaya Toure.
Toure was signed from Barcelona in 2010 for a then whopping £24 million with a Champions League and two La Liga titles under his belt before his sojourn in England. While it was a known fact Yaya was a top player in Catalunya, it was his attacking qualities that were in doubt as he was more of a defensive midfielder in Barcelona, allowing the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta do more of the attacking job.
In England the reverse has been the case as Toure remains one of the best box-to-box attacking midfielders to have ever graced the English Premier League . Toure has been so impressive that during his stay in England (six years), he could be compared with the likes of Steven Gerard, Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard. Toure has proved a revelation in the Premier League as his winning goal against Stoke City in the 2011 FA Cup in Wembley secured Roberto Mancini's first Manchester City silverware and also the first major silverware for Manchester City in 35 years, becoming the pillar and foundation of the "Greatest" Manchester City team. While so many players came and left Manchester City , the likes of Javi Garcia, Jack Rodwel, Roque Santa Cruz and Scot Sinclair to mention but a few, Yaya on his own has stood the true test of time, getting better with age like wine.
He was also dominant and magnificent in the 2011/2012 premier league season as he provided the assist for Pablo Zabaleta to score the opener in a 3-2 defeat of Queens Park Rangers (last game of the season) which handed the Premier League title to Manchester City for the first time in 44 years. He also scored 20 goals in 2013-2014 season , becoming the only midfielder after Frank Lampard to achieve such feat.
Overall, Toure's influence in Manchester City can never be overstated as he has been the fulcrum of the team in his six years at the club, scoring 54 goals in 189 games. Going on to win a further Premier League and League Cup title in 2014 (also named in PFA Team of the Year) and also making history as the member of the first Manchester City side to reach the last eight of the Champions League this season (Manchester City will play PSG in the quarter final).
The irony of all these is that Toure seems to be on the wane and has lost form in the last two years. Last season he was impressive in the first half of the season, but was disappointing in the second half. He was heavily criticised last season and was even rumoured to be on the move to Inter to reunite with former manager, Roberto Mancini.
If last season the Ivorien was abysmal , it has been worse this season. In big games where City have lost , Toure has been anonymous (Liverpool home and away, Arsenal, Leicester and recently Manchester United away ). It is therefore not surprising that Manchester City have slipped to fourth in the table and have not won a consecutive game since October. Toure has played 26 Premier League games this season scoring a mere six goals and assisting five. His shot accuracy has also diminished to 45 percent.
At 32 with a loss of form and pace it seems wise that Manchester City accept that the best years of Yaya Toure is clearly behind him. With the coming of Pep Guardiola next season, and with the problems the two share since their unhappy days in Barcelona , it is unlikely that Yaya Toure will will be in the Eastlands next season. With his excessive wages and declining influence on the field , it is only wise Manchester City moves him on and build their team on another player. Surely everything that has a beginning has an ending and Yaya Toure's case will not be an exception , one thing is for sure though and that is , "Yaya Toure is a Manchester City Legend and will forever be remembered in Eastlands".
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