Summer Transfer window 2013: Manchester City

Manchester City have stormed off the lines in the current transfer window, having completed the quickfire purchase of long-time target Fernando Luiz Rosa – known popularly as Fernandinho –  and the signing of Jesus Navas is a mere formality away, with Navas currently occupied with the Spanish national team. This comes after an underwhelming 2012/13 season, preceding which City missed out on all of their transfer targets last summer. Former manager Roberto Mancini was quick to lay the blame on ex-Sporting Director Brian Marwood for failing to coax the required players (Javi Martinez, Eden Hazard, Robin Van Persie), all of whom then went on to make massive impacts at their respective clubs. The scenario at the club has changed entirely this time round. Ferran Sorriano is now the CEO, Txiki Begiristain – formerly of FC Barcelona – is now the Sporting Director, and Roberto Mancini is no longer the manager. Manuel Pellegrini’s announcement as his successor is expected to be made by Tuesday. The sea change at the boardroom level has now percolated down to action in the functionings and systems of the club. They have now learnt from their mistakes and others successes. However, the transfer window is far from closed, and business at the Etihad Stadium is far from done.

The signings made last summer were: Matija Nastasic, Jack Rodwell, Javi Garcia, Scott Sinclair and Maicon. If you don’t follow City much, you’d be forgiven for believing I was joking about the latter two; that’s just how anonymous they were through the season. Nastasic made a profound impact at the club, and Rodwell proved that he can be a midfield force, if fully fit. The others should never have been at the club in the first place. Expect all three out of the club at the earliest, and expect the amounts recouped to be reinvested swiftly, because the City squad is far from complete and much farther from perfection. As I pointed out previously, the sales of Adam Johnson and Nigel de Jong hurt the club in more ways than they care to admit. Johnson added pace, width, trickery, and dynamism to the team when required, and he was capable of scoring some of the most stunning goals. Some which even Lionel Messi would be jealous of. Mancini sold him because of an inherent conflict, and because he believed Johnson wasn’t consistent enough. De Jong wasn’t a regular starter in the side since Yaya Toure was brought in. And yet, de Jong was one of the most influential players at the club last year, and will go down in history as one of the strangest ‘super-subs’ to have existed. He would be brought on at the hour mark, sacrificing either a striker, Samir Nasri, or David Silva, and his arrival would liberate Yaya Toure to move forward and break through opposing defences. Javi Garcia was nowhere as defensively stable and reliable, causing Yaya Toure to stay deeper than was good for the team. It is no coincidence that the club’s poorest season under Mancini coincided with their departures. Adequate replacements were not brought in, and squad was not strengthened.