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?
We are pleased to announce we have completed the signing of Claudio Echeverri from River Plate ✍️
Claudio has signed a contract until June 2028 but will remain at River before moving to the Etihad Stadium in January next year.
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)
Sport
Co-op Live confirmed as the host venue for the 2026 Netball Super League Grand Final
Danny Jones
Manchester’s Co-op Live has booked its latest big event as the 2026 Netball Super League (NSL) Grand Final is set to be held at the massive indoor venue.
As one of the biggest indoor entertainment venues not just in the country but all of Europe, there’ll be room for plenty of UK fans to pile into the stands.
This being not only the NSL‘s debut at the arena but the first final to ever be held in the building, it’s set to be a historic night for lots of reasons.
Announcing the huge coup – not just for the increasingly popular female-led competition, but for sports fans around Greater Manchester in general – this week, the reaction to the big date on the women’s sporting calendar has been just as big.
As mentioned in an official press release, “The selection of Co-op Live for the 2026 Soft & Gentle Grand Final builds on the arena’s rapid emergence as a global destination for sport and entertainment, following a programme of major global broadcasts across music and sport.”
The 23,500-capacity and completely indoor stadium has quickly established itself as a leading destination for live music and more since it finally opened back in May 2024.
Last year’s Super League Grand Final was held down in the capital at The O2 Arena as the fast-rising franchise London Pulse beat Loughborough Lightning 53–45 to lift the title for the first time in history.
Now, the NSL is looking to capitalise on those record-breaking crowds by bringing the action closer to another foundational home for so many competitive disciplines: Greater Manchester.
With England Netball themselves being headquarted at the England Netball is headquartered at the National Squash Centre and Regional Arena on the Etihad Campus (next door to the arena), choosing Co-op Live only felt natural this time.
Elsewhere, another big tournament is being held up in the North, too, with the Netball Super Cup set be hosted at the Utilita Arena over in Yorkshire – much to our mates at The Sheff‘s delight.
Treat a netball fan in your life ❤️
🤝 Help them start #NSL2026 in style and get them tickets to see the Netball Super Cup live.
As for Co-op Live itself, general manager Guy Dunstan commented: “We’re incredibly proud to welcome the Soft & Gentle Grand Final to Co-op Live and to make history by hosting the first sporting final at the arena.
“Co-op Live was designed to bring people together for unforgettable shared experiences, and this reflects everything [we] stand for: world-class events, inclusivity, community impact and inspiring the next generation. We can’t wait to see Manchester play host to such a landmark moment for the sport.”
As always, official Co-op members get early access through the venue’s dedicated presale window, which will open at 10am on Monday, 2 March.
Meanwhile, general admission will then be available from the same time the following Thursday (5 Mar); you can get ready to grab your tickets for the Netball Super League Grand Final in Manchester at Co-op Live right HERE.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via Co-op Live)
Sport
Pep Guardiola delivers important reminder about multiculturalism after Jim Ratcliffe controversy
Danny Jones
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has delivered an important message about the power of multiculturalism in his most recent press conference.
Guardiola’s comments come after the high-profile controversy surrounding his rival club across the city, Man United, whose co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, saw some of his recent remarks fall under major scrutiny.
In case you somehow missed it, the Failsworth-born British billionaire was heavily criticised after claiming he believes the UK has been “colonised by immigrants”.
Fast forward a couple of days, and while the club and the fan base are still dealing with the fallout of the story, Pep acknowledged the debate by reminding people that “embracing other cultures” makes for a “better society”.
Well put, Pep – in fact, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
Although he didn’t reference the 74-year-old directly after being probed on the subject by journalists, the Man City boss reiterated that his time spent living and working across the world has only broadened his mind and enriched his life.
That goes for both his professional and personal spheres, by the way, as the Catalan coach has often spoken of his love for English culture and the Manc people, specifically.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s FA Cup game against local side Salford City, Pep described the attitudes towards immigrants around the world as a “big problem” despite most people simply leaving their country in search of “a better life”.
He also drew attention to the fact that he, like so many others in football – a sporting industry loved the world round by people from all walks of life and that the likes of Ratcliffe directly benefit from – is an immigrant working and contributing to not just the game but the British economy by being here.
Meanwhile, Manchester United have since shared a public statement on their club website and across social media, reiterating to fans and supporters the world over that they are an “inclusive club”.
‘We will continue to represent our people, our city and our fans with purpose and pride.’
The INEOS chairman, CEO and minority stakeholder in Manchester United Football Club, has since apologised (at least in part) for his “choice of language” following the divisive interview with Sky News.
In a world where plenty of people are quick to pessimism, negativity and turn to division almost by default, Pep’s message is one echoed by so many and is one that we should all keep in mind.
And for anyone who needs a more light-hearted bit of content on their timeline this week, here’s what else Pep said in his pre-match presser…
Pep Guardiola responding to a really intelligent question from a reporter:
‘Do you want to be my assistant coach, fucking hell, you are brilliant…’
Danny Jones -
26th January 2024 
