HE ARRIVED for a British transfer record for a defender.
He was part of the team that won the Premier League with a record points tally.
But now the centre-back is a free agent and desperate to find a new club.
The French star spent the second half of last season with Saint-Etienne - but could not help the club avoid relegation into Ligue 2.
However, when that deal expired in the summer, he was unable to get a contract with another club, leaving him unemployed and working hard in the gym to stay in shape.
The defender in question is former Manchester City man Eliaquim Mangala .
Speaking to Get French Football News , he said: “My plan is to find a club and to find a club as quickly as possible.
“It’s my passion, and I’m motivated to give a lot more on the pitch.
“Football is where I enjoy myself. I want to be on the pitch. In terms of contacts from clubs, at the minute it is calm.”;
Mangala, now 31, joined Manuel Pellegrini’s City from Porto in 2014.
The initial deal was said to be worth £32million but it was later revealed the full cost was actually £42m .
That made him the most expensive defender in Premier League history - just weeks after David Luiz signed for PSG for a world-record £50m.
He was a first-team regular in his first two seasons but Pep Guardiola’s arrival saw his chances limited as he slipped down to fourth-choice centre-back.
Mangala was loaned to Valencia in 2016-17 but the eight-cap senior international did make nine appearances for City’s Centurions in 2017-18.
Midway through that same season he was loaned to Everton but got injured and then joined Valencia permanently in 2019 .
The Belgian and Portuguese title winner had two years back in Spack and then the short stint in France.
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Reflecting on his mammoth transfer fee and how Guardiola changed things, Mangala added: “Everyone handles it differently. It is true that the value was enormous, and with that came expectations.
“There is this subconscious side that has its influence. I tried to balance that influence by telling myself to concentrate on what I had to do.
“I was part of this transition. I was there in the [Manuel] Pellegrini era. The club showed a lot of ambition. I was lucky to play with such important players.
“When I look at it with hindsight, as a child who wanted to play at the highest level, I achieved it.
“I had the chance to spend time with Pep, which was a key moment fo me because he showed me completely different things that I didn’t know about before, both in a sporting context and outside.
“When Pep arrived I was told I should leave. At the end of the transfer window, I was still at City.
“The coach came up to me very honestly and said, ‘You’re a very good player, it’s just that regarding the profile I’m looking for, for my style of play, you aren’t what I’m looking for.’
“After having played under Pep, I had more of a desire to become a manager.”;
