Paul Merson has admitted that he had a howler by questioning why Manchester City had paid a king’s ransom to sign Kevin De Bruyne.
In 2015, Merson was quizzed about whether Mourinho had made a mistake by letting De Bruyne leave Chelsea.
“I didn’t think so. I didn’t think he’d done it at Chelsea. I don’t think he got loads of chances but he didn’t look part of the Chelsea way at the time, Jeff [Stelling] and I think it was right for him to go. If you’re buying someone for £8 million and selling them for £10 million profit, I mean, it’s a no-brainer for me”, he said [via Football Daily].
Paul Merson infamously went on to claim that in his eyes, signing Kevin De Bruyne for £54 million (The Telegraph) was a massive overpay by Manchester City.
“I just don’t see this. I just don’t see £50-odd million for this player. I really do not see it at all and this is someone who was at the top club in England, Chelsea, playing there and didn’t click. So, he’s played here before at a top team with top players. I thought it was [54 million] lira.”, he said.
Paul Merson admits Kevin De Bruyne has proven him wrong at Manchester City
However, cut to the present and Paul Merson admits that Kevin De Bruyne has proven him wrong during his spell at Manchester City.
“I thought when they paid that money, I famously said on Sky that he’s not worth it. I had seen at Chelsea and I thought, ‘No, that’s a lot of money.’ But he’s proven me wrong over the years, 100 per cent”, he said on Football’s Greatest With Jeff Stelling.
“I’m one of his biggest fans now.”
Paul Merson insists that the reason why he had doubts about how Kevin De Bruyne would fare at Manchester City is because of his forgettable spell at Chelsea.
“Jeff, it wasn’t a lazy, off-the-cuff quote, I had seen him enough times at Chelsea, I’d seen him and it didn’t work out for him at Chelsea. It just didn’t work out. Again, times and places, it wasn’t the right time for him and that’s why I said what I said. But wow, what a player.”
Great players like Kevin De Bruyne prove their doubters wrong
Ultimately, Kevin De Bruyne has managed to make a mockery of his doubters, such as Paul Merson ever since becoming a Manchester City player.
But at the end of the day, several top players have been questioned in the past and that will continue to be the case in the future.
Famously, Thierry Henry did not score his first goal for Arsenal until his eighth appearance for the club against Southampton in the Premier League.
The Frenchman had several sceptics at the time but he went on to cement his status as one of the greatest players of all time.
The same can be said about Kevin De Bruyne, who let his feet do the talking and turn his critics like Paul Merson into their biggest fans.
