It’s been a relatively quiet January transfer window across the board, as it can often be for many teams, but Manchester City has completed another bit of exciting business as they officially announced the signing of so-called ‘wonderkid’ Claudio Echeverri — but who is he?
The 18-year-old attacking midfielder’s move from Argentine giants River Plate was confirmed on Thursday, 25 January, with Man City confirming that he will be loaned straight back to the club until this time next year.
Operating as an attacking midfielder, it’s fair to say that not only do the Blues have plenty of stars that play in the position but any new signing, no matter how senior, would struggle to find their way into that well-oiled machined.
Being given a contract until 2028 on a deal worth around £12.5 million plus add-ons despite only just turning 18, it’s fair to say City are putting a lot of faith in the highly-promising prospect but why exactly is he being so highly thought of at such a young age?
For starters, it’s worth noting that some of his closest admirers have dubbed him ‘the next Lionel Messi‘, and not just because he’s young and a fellow compatriot.
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Playing in an advanced role and predominantly as a classic number 10, the parallels are obvious and given his calmness and composure in front of goal, it didn’t take long for fans and pundits to turn the marriage of nationality, position, goalscoring and a fair amount of skill into the excitable comparison.
With a penchant for dribbling and having already captained Argentina’s youth side to the semi-finals of the U17 World Cup late last year, he’s already had a taster of having the weight of a nation’s hopes on his shoulders in some capacity. That’s the kind of character that should take to the Premier League well.
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Scoring nine in six across the tournament, he bagged a hattrick in the quarters against Brazil before they lost on penalties to Germany, earning himself the chance to train with the first-team squad on a number of occasions.
At club level, despite only making six senior appearances for River Plate, he’s already won two trophies with them — the Argentine Primera Division and the Trofeo de Campeones — registering an assist within just four cameo appearances coming off the bench.
Speaking to Sky Sports, South American football expert Tim Vickery, made another key comparison, stating that “Echeverri is taking a similar path as Julián Álvarez: River Plate and Argentina to Manchester City and England – but with significant differences.
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“Alvarez went at the age of 22 as a consolidated Argentina international and as the best player in Argentine football.
“Echeverri has only just turned 18 and we’ve hardly seen him in senior Argentine football. Just six games with most of those off the substitutes’ bench. It’s the same journey but with a very different route map.”
Going on to caveat that although dubbing him the next Messi might be getting carried away at this stage, he did insist that the youngster’s “promise is huge”, highlighting his “real pace and changes of pace, changes of rhythm, real knowledge of where to hurt the opposition and attacking space”, in particular.
The consensus seems to be that he’s Claudio Echeverri is definitely one of the future and potentially a talent to build around in the long term and, thankfully, his loan move straight back to his previous club will allow him to keep playing more regular football just as Álvarez did before arriving at the Etihad.
With Kalvin Phillips having just been loaned to West Ham from City in search of minutes after missing valuable months due to being simply kept out by such a wealth of talent in the middle of the park, Pep Guardiola and his staff certainly won’t want to risk a similar situation.
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One thing’s for sure, he’s definitely one to keep an eye on.
Featured Images — Man City/Claudio Echeverri/Argentine National Team (via Instagram)
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A young cancer survivor is taking on the Great Manchester Run for the hospital that saved her life
Danny Jones
A former cancer patient from Manchester who was diagnosed at the age of just 17 is taking on this year’s Great Manchester Run on behalf of The Christie, the hospital she credits with helping save her life.
24-year-old Lea Abell from Failsworth is set to run the event for the first time on Sunday, 26 May to raise funds for The Christie Charity where she now works after completing her treatment.
Lea was sadly diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma cancer back in March 2017 and had to undergo intense chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment at The Christie’s TYA (Teenage and Young Adult) unit.
Thankfully, she showed plenty of Manc spirit even at such a young age and in September 2018, Lea was told her treatment had been successful and is now looking to dedicate her efforts this May to the local life-saving institution.
After so much support and care from The Christie during her time there, the youngster decided that she wanted to give back and be a part of it all herself, going on to become part of the foundation’s mass participation events team – hence where the Great Manchester Run comes in.
Speaking on the hospital and the ward she spent her time in, specifically, Lea said: “The TYA, where do start? They are absolutely amazing! Every single member of staff from Julie the receptionist to Hanna Simpson, the head nurse and all of the other doctors and nurses were incredible.
“They make you feel so at home, and they support you mentally and physically throughout your treatment – they are all so positive, so you don’t feel like you’re going there for cancer treatment. I really wouldn’t have got through it if it wasn’t for the people there, so I owe them everything!
“Hanna and Julie always went out of their way to check up on me and tried to make my days better in any way they could, and I’ll never forget that.” Having turned up with the events team to the Great Manchester Run last year and seeing what a “brilliant day” it was, she decided 2024 was her year.
She’s becoming the latest among the hordes who run on behalf of The Christie at events across the globe every year.
Having only recently started her running journey this year and with the popular running event just around the corner, it’ll be a massive achievement for the young survivor and her team at the charity, with plenty of people backing her and a simple aim in mind: raise as much money as possible.
Lea has only recently started her running journey this year, so to take on the Great Manchester Run will be a big achievement for her, but she has plenty of people in her corner.
She went on to add: “My immediate family includes my mum Nicola, my dad Gary, and my brother and sister Jake and Sophia who were all there for me during treatment, and they will be there on the day of the Great Manchester Run to cheer me on alongside my other family members and friends.”
You’re going to absolutely smash it, Lea, we know it.
As for the charity themselves, The Christie’s mass participation events development manager, Lindsey Farthing, added: “Lea is a valuable member of our team and we’re all really touched that she has chosen to run the Manchester 10K for our charity.
To have a member of staff in our team who has been treated at The Christie and wants to give something back to the organisation that saved her life is really special for us all. We couldn’t be prouder of her and we wish her all the very best.”
If you want to help do your bit, you can donate to Lea’s fundraiser HERE and be sure to turn up in your droves come race day to cheer her on along with the thousands of runners raising money for charity.
Club captain and ‘legend’ Paddy Madden bids fond farewell as he prepares to leave Stockport County
Danny Jones
Paddy Madden has said farewell to Stockport County after announcing that he will leave Edgeley Park this summer, bidding an emotional goodbye to his teammates and the adoring fans who have already as a “club legend”.
The Irishman joined County in March 2021 and won the National League title in his first full campaign with the club, going on to net a total of 65 goals in 155 appearances for the Hatters, including four hat-tricks in all competitions this season alone.
Scoring 17 times for County throughout their promotion-winning year, his second with the club in just three short seasons, not to mention grabbing six assists, he was without a doubt one of Dave Challinor‘s most crucial players and has been ever since he arrived in Stockport.
Jumping on social media after the club announced that their captain and fellow fan favourites Myles Hippolyte, Ryan Croasdale and several others will depart following their contracts expiring, Madden was full of nothing but positivity about his time in blue.
— Stockport (C)ounty (@StockportCounty) May 7, 2024
Madden writes: “Stockport County, thank you so much for an amazing three years, me and my family have loved every minute of it. Being your captain was an honour. To play a part in getting such a big club back in the EFL and then into League One has given me memories I will never forget.
“To my teammates I had the honour of sharing the pitch with, I couldn’t ask any more from all of you, you kept your standards high from day one and that kept us on track to reach our goals.
“To the coaching staff, thank you for pushing the squad every day and to the staff behind the scenes a big thank you for your hard work, it doesn’t go unnoticed.
“Last but not least, thank you to you County fans for the amazing support from the first day I arrived. I’m over the moon to see the club back in League One, you all deserve it so much for sticking with your club in the dark days. Up the County.” It’s no secret how much the fans are going to miss their captain either.
Paddy Madden will go down as *the* signing of the Mark Stott era.
Dropped down two leagues at the time, constantly set the tone, scored goals, worked unbelievably hard, understood the club, connected with the fans, and came in clutch at the biggest moments.
Paddy Madden made himself a County legend in just three years.
The worst decision Stockport County has made in recent times is letting go of club legend Paddy Madden, 10th all-time goal scorer. A leader who brings much more than just goals. His next club is getting a very good player. He He deserved whatever he asked for.#StockportCounty
The failure to extend his stay hasn’t gone down well with everyone.
Paddy Madden will always be a County legend but never appreciated how quickly he has got to his goal tally when compared to his Scunny and Fleetwood goals per game ratio @CountyPodcast@HattersMatterspic.twitter.com/Om3eWVMM19
As for the club themselves, despite attempting to sign a new deal for the 34-year-old – who now goes down as County’s 10th all-time leading goalscorer and is still the third most prolific in the history of the third division (114) – they said that “both parties could not come to a satisfactory agreement.”
Madden is now being linked with a move to Chesterfield FC who have just climbed out of the National League as County’s number nine did back in 2021 and would be set to join Will Grigg up front, who sits just four in front of him in all-time League One goals.
Reacting to his bittersweet departure, the Hatters added: “It’s not goodbye, it’s see you soon. The defining signing of the Mark Stott era, and forever a Stockport County legend. Thank you so much for everything, Starman.”
While the Hatters will no doubt miss out on his experience as they return to League One after 12 years away, they’re still in very good hands up front with top scorer Isaac ‘Tanto’ Olaofe managing 22 goals this season and they have plenty of strong candidates for a replacement captain too.