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Like the proverbial faeces off a shovel, City have done exactly that, making manoeuvres on the market even before Mancini himself has been replaced. June is still in its infancy yet the 2012 Premier League champions have already secured the signature of Fernandinho.
Flying winger Jesus Navas is set to soon follow after his club Sevilla earlier in the week said an agreement was in place. Meanwhile, Manchester United are yet to blink.
Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho put pen to paper for somewhere between £30 million and £34m, depending on which reports you believe — no small amount for a 28-year-old, had he been signing for any other club.
Yet this is Manchester City, and that fee is but a mere drop in the oily ocean for them. Such is the Eastlands club’s financial clout, no expenditure, no matter how large, can be considered a genuine risk.
Not like at other clubs, where a £30m-plus failure can have potentially grave implications. At City, if it doesn’t work out, a dud player is simply replaced with another flourish of the pen in the owner’s cheque book. The only thing they’ve lost out on is time.
But after a season without any silverware, that time factor is now crucial at the Etihad. Mancini paid the price for his one year of failure and while the incoming Manuel Pellegrini should expect to be given a decent period to build a successful team in his own mould, there is no guarantee he will afforded that luxury.
That is why Fernandinho’s signing and the impending arrival of Navas — indeed anyone who is brought in this summer — have taken on greater importance. Even though Pellegrini hasn’t directly overseen these first two deals, it is he who will be judged on their performances when all is said and done and the inquests are held this time next year.
At least City appear to have learnt their lessons from last year, when they were fatally slow to begin their transfer dealings, allowing Robin van Persie to sign for United. And we all know what happened next. This time around, ironically at Mancini’s behest, they’re ahead of the game and Pellegrini will hit the ground running when he arrives, as expected, next week.
It’s all well and good bringing in numbers though — City did that 12 months ago with Jack Rodwell, Scott Sinclair, Maicon, Richard Wright, Javi Garcia and Matija Nastasic all joining and only the latter really making an impression on the first team — quality is needed too.
Is Fernandihno the kind of player who can give City the edge they so crave over United? — AFP.
Online Reporter