The Belgium completed his move to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday for a fee in excess of £55 million and the central defender has expressed his happiness with the signing
Vincent Kompany believes that Kevin De Bruyne can be a “game-changer” for Manchester City after his fellow Belgian completed his protracted transfer to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
City are believed to have paid a fee upwards of £55 million to sign De Bruyne from Wolfsburg, a club-record, with the former Chelsea playmaker having won the Bundesliga Player of the Year award in 2014-15.
De Bruyne racked up 28 assists in all competitions last season, whilst also scoring 16 goals, and Kompany has expressed his delight at the signing.
“I don’t know the figures but all I can say is I suppose you shouldn’t focus on numbers too much any more,” he told reporters. “If a player can improve a squad that bit more, the value is very difficult to assess because there’s so much competition to get the top players. That dictates it really.
“He’s a tremendous talent. What he gives you – he’s just got so many assists and goals in him, it doesn’t really matter how the game goes for him, he’s always making decisive plays.
“Over the course of the season that’s ultimately what you pay for. More goals, more assists, he’s just got something special.”
Kompany accepts that there will be a certain degree of pressure attached to De Bruyne due to the price paid to acquire his signature, but he has little doubt that his compatriot will prove a success at City.
“You’ve all been there – you compare yourself at the age of 18 or 20 to when you grow up, you change as a person,” he added. “He’s become the best player in Germany and we all know what great players play in the German league, so that says enough, that’s enough pressure as it is.
“To achieve something like that is pretty unique. It’s a completely different style of football that we play and certain players are better fitted to certain clubs. That’s just the way it is.”
Kompany says that he did not need to advise City to sign De Bruyne, but has praised the quality the 24-year-old possesses.
“They have a very good network of scouts and people who give them good advice but my opinion was pretty clear – in private and publicly,” he added.
“He’s a player that I rate and other than that our team has had a tradition of welcoming many players over the years, so everything is going to be just like it was with Raheem and done in such a way that we’ll carry on from what we’ve been building so far. He’s the most English guy from the Belgian national team.
“If you go through his family line I think his grandfather lives in England, his mother is virtually English. He could have played for England if you’d spotted him earlier.”