Manuel Pellegrini acclaims Nicolas Otamendi: 'Arguably the best defender in La Liga last season'

Manuel Pellegrini and Nicolas Otamendi's respective paths never crossed in La Liga, as the Chilean manager departed Villarreal years before the centre-back joined Valencia.

However, after Manchester City signed Otamendi to a five-year contract on Thursday, it became perfectly clear that Pellegrini has been keeping an eye on the top flight of Spanish football.

Related: Nicolas Otamendi signs on with Manchester City from Valencia

Addressing his club's acquisition of Otamendi, Pellegrini heaped praise onto the player, contending that he ranked second to none last season in terms of La Liga's defenders while insisting that he is fully capable of shining in the Premier League.

"Nicolas Otamendi was arguably the best defender in La Liga last season and so naturally I'm delighted to have added a player of his quality," Pellegrini said.

"He is an established international for one of the best nations in world football and I have no doubt that he has the right mentality to fit into a squad where he will find many familiar faces, including Eliaquim (Mangala) and Fernando who he played alongside in Portugal.

"As a footballer, Nicolas has all of the qualities to be a success in the Premier League – he's strong, he's excellent in the tackle and he's very good technically. I am sure he will become another Argentine player our fans will enjoy watching."

Otamendi ranked second in La Liga in clearances per game last season (7.3) while also averaging 3.1 interceptions per game and 2.9 tackles per game.