TA introduces Manchester City new player Nipan: Rosenberg s youngest adult player in history

According to TA, Manchester City has signed 18-year-old Nipan from Norway's Rosenberg. The transfer fee is £12.5 million, with no additional terms or secondary resale share. The Norwegian midfielder signed a five-year contract with Manchester City. TA gave a detailed introduction to the 18-year-old star.

Nipan's backstory

Nipan is a rising star who made his first team debut at the age of 15 and 322 days, becoming the youngest adult player in Rosenberg's history. He has been training with the first team since he was 14, and despite his young age, he has played in the first team for nearly 5,000 minutes - even twice as many as his compatriot Odgao at his age.

Although Nipan has long been famous in Norway, he has really entered the mainstream vision in July last year, when he had an exciting performance in a preseason friendly against Manchester United. His touch ball collection in that game has been uploaded to foreign video websites and has since begun to hype.

What should I expect to see? What shouldn't be expected?

He is an offensive midfielder, but not exactly the same as a player like Odegao. Neppan is skilled and able to outperform. There is no doubt that he also has the vision to tear the defense line and create opportunities for his teammates. However, his style is more diligent and down-to-earth than gorgeous and dazzling. This is very important. He will be regarded as a future project at Manchester City and needs further polishing in terms of physical fitness and technology to truly gain a foothold in the Premier League.

How does he adapt tactically?

For Nepin, this is a temporary unsolvable problem: he is unlikely to join the first team immediately in the short term and is expected to be trained on loan. But the more critical question may be whether he will develop into a true No. 10 player, or become a character who is more inclined to advance from the midfield, especially at playing a role in the opponent's penalty area. He has a certain degree of confrontation. Although he is not a meticulous ball grab expert, he obviously enjoys the physical confrontation part of the game, which also means that he will not be fixed in a single position. We still have to wait and see. He is not the kind of player who can be labeled at a glance.

What is his injury history?

His most serious injury occurred in May 2023, when he was absent for about two months due to an undisclosed injury. He has missed a few games only due to illness since then.

Norwegian national team coach evaluated Nipan

Norwegian represented Norwegian youth teams at all levels and is currently playing for the U21 national team. Norwegian national team coach Staller Solbaken said in an interview with reporters last month: "He is not ready to play in the Premier League yet. I would be surprised if he enters the Premier League immediately. There must be a transition station, but maybe Manchester City has already made plans for it. I like the way Nipan runs. He has a lot of room for improvement in many aspects, but he does have that talent gene."

How much do we know about the financial situation of this deal?

Nepan signed a five-year contract with Manchester City and will be in effect until June 2030. Manchester City paid the 18-year-old midfielder a transfer fee of £12.5 million, one of the largest transfer fees Norwegian clubs have received in history. Apart from this amount, Rosenberg will not receive any additional income in any form, such as performance terms or future resale share.

What impact does this have on Manchester City’s Financial Sustainability Regulations (PSR) calculations?

Assuming there is 10% broker commission and 4% transfer levy in the transfer, Nipan's signing will increase the amortization cost by £2.7 million on the books in Manchester City in fiscal 2025-26. Since then, until the end of the 2029-30 season, the fee will be kept at a rate of £2.9 million a year.

We don't know what Nipan's salary is at Manchester City, but he is unlikely to significantly increase Manchester City's total annual salary, which has exceeded £400 million. If he is loaned out this season as expected, it is also possible that (although unlikely) by the loan club to bear some of his weekly salary.

This transaction had a huge impact on Rosenberg's finances. The club's total annual revenue for the past two full seasons is only slightly above £15 million. As an international transfer, a small part of the cost (about £100,000) will be paid to Nardo FK, a youth training club that Nipan played for before the age of 14. But this still made Rosenberg net £12.4 million. The money is equivalent to 83% of the club's revenue last year and almost covers Rosenberg's £8.7 million annual salary expenditure in 2024.