Premier League: Is Wilfried Bony the signing to retain the title for Manchester City?

We can expect to see Bony celebrating goals in a Man City shirt

With Wilfired Bony Manchester City-bound when he returns from the African Cup of Nations, Andy Brassell argues that the former Swansea striker is exactly what the defending Premier League champions need...

The first really big deal of the winter transfer window in the Premier League is, potentially, a very significant one.

Wilfried Bony's move from Swansea to Manchester City fills a gap that the champions have clearly struggled to fill in recent times, and is almost as atypical a January deal as you can imagine. Neither side are having their "pants pulled down", in Harry Redknapp parlance, with 25m of initial cost seeming highly reasonable.

Immediately speaking, it's hard to see the downside for City. You will now be aware that Bony was the Premier League's top scorer in the calendar year of 2014, for what it's worth. In fact, scoff all you like, but it's some achievement, not only in light of the competition, which includes his new teammate Sergio Agero, of course.

To those who consider the examination of a player's performance over a calendar year rather than a season irrelevant, consider this. Not only does it show consistency, as he hits the numbers season after season but in Bony's case, the goals were scored in very different circumstances.

Swansea have been looking upwards for the majority of this season, but the last campaign was one of struggle, and salvation was not assured until a couple of games from the end of the season - when Bony, naturally, scored twice in a 4-1 demolition of Aston Villa. The fact is that he is one of the very best forwards that the Premier League has.

It is hard not to assume that he has at least partly been bought to cover Agero's fragility. If he was fit for every game of the season, he'd be gold dust, but the reality is that's never going to happen. The Argentinian's imperiousness and explosiveness is not open to debate, but he has never come close to matching the 31 Premier League starts he managed in his first season in England. Agero started 20 times last season (for a whopping 17 goals) and 22 times in 2012/13.

For a club that's spent the thick end of 1bn on transfers in six-and-a-half years under its current owners, City can often look horribly reliant on their star. You can hardly blame them - after all, who wouldn't say that Barcelona and Real Madrid, for example, rely on Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to some degree? - but it's not a situation that they can really want, or afford, to go on.

Bony has the all-round game to fit superbly but, as a more physical threat, is also an interesting new tack, unlike anything they already have.

Given his pedigree and that he's already an established Premier League player, there's no question of Bony being a Tino Asprilla style unbalancing influence - or at least there shouldn't be. The real question is how Manuel Pellegrini will play it when Agero and Bony are both available.

We already know he's a fan of 4-4-2 with two out-and-out frontmen, and just how that's caused difficulty against strong opposition - notably Bayern Munich in the meeting at the Etihad last season - as well as in away games where they've looked far too open.

Yaya Tour, Fernandinho and Fernando (the latter having always played 4-3-3 since arriving in Europe) don't know exactly where to position themselves a lot of the time. It's arguable that City always look better with just one up. In a 4-4-2 shape, City lack Chelsea's general solidity and reliability, however eye-catching their front pair.

If they play it right, City are a tempting 3.55/2 to retain their crown, with favourites Chelsea at 1.4640/85. Will Pellegrini be circumspect or smart, though?