So what happens next? Whether we win the FA Cup (touch wood) and/or qualify for the Champions League (touch wood) this season, it is time to progress. Too many players have stood out for the wrong reasons this season so let’s address this while we can. I am going to put forward a list of players that should leave the club this summer, I am sure you will agree:-
- Wayne Bridge
- Nedum Onuoha
- Shaun Wright-Phillips
- Patrick Viera
- Craig Bellamy
- Emmanual Adebayor
- Felipe Caicedo (Yes, he still plays for us)
- Jo
- Roque Santa Cruz
- Kolo Toure (Only because he will be banned)
A huge amount of money is being spent on their wages which could be invested elsewhere. This article will look at some potential new signings that I recommend & some signings that we are more likely to sign this summer. Don’t forget to Tweet me or leave a comment in the comments section below with any players you would like to see sign for City in the future.
Should Carlos Tevez unfortunately leave Manchester City this summer we would need to sign a replacement. The obvious signing for me would be Borussia Dortmund’s 26 year old striker Lucas Barrios, having just won the German League the timing couldn’t be better. He has a goal scoring record of 14 goals in 30 league games this season, 19 goals in 33 league games the previous season and an impressive 95 goals in 131 games throughout his career. Lucas is a Paraguayan international and is big, strong & reasonably quick. Barrios is is known for his effectiveness in the penalty area which earned him his nickname, La Pantera which means The Panther. He probably wouldn’t cost an arm & a leg either.
Should Carlos Tevez unfortunately leave Manchester City this summer we would need to sign a replacement. The obvious signing for me would be Borussia Dortmund’s 26 year old striker Lucas Barrios, having just won the German League the timing couldn’t be better. He has a goal scoring record of 14 goals in 30 league games this season, 19 goals in 33 league games the previous season and an impressive 95 goals in 131 games throughout his career. Lucas is a Paraguayan international and is big, strong & reasonably quick. Barrios is is known for his effectiveness in the penalty area which earned him his nickname, La Pantera which means The Panther. He probably wouldn’t cost an arm & a leg either.
Another signing I would like to see at Manchester City is Napoli’s 26 year old forward Ezequiel Lavezzi. He is known more for his work ethic and all-round contribution, rather than his goal scoring, however he does chip in with around 7 or 8 goals a season. Since signing for Napoli in 2007 he has played 122 games scoring 36 goals in the process. He has 10 caps for Argentina & is a similar player to Tevez but with fewer goals, he could easily slot in the space currently occupied by Yaya Toure behind the striker which would then allow Yaya to play in his natural position. Napoli have qualified for the Champions League this season but have missed out on all domestic titles and cups. Napoli look set to lose their leading goal scorer Edinson Cavani this summer and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see other top players leave too. Edinson Cavani is another player that could potentially replace Tevez but I am still unsure as to whether his style of play would suit the Premier League. However, he has scored 26 league goals in 34 league games this season so never, say never. If I could have anyone it would of course be Barca’s 23 year old Lionel Messi but erm...
Aleksandar Kolarov has been pinpointed many times this season by myself and other City fans as our weak link, he seems to be unaware defensively and slows down play when we attack. He is an able footballer but is he good enough to carry on occupying our left back position? Did you know that Kolarov has delivered more crosses without registering an assist than any other Premier League player this season? I would like to see him remain at the club with Wayne Bridge leaving and I would also like to see us sign a replacement. We have been linked in recent weeks with Everton’s Leighton Baines and Benfica’s Fábio Coentrão who are both excellent players & I wouldn’t mind either of them at City. Alternatively, I would like to see us sign Arsenal’s 25 year old left back Gaël Clichy, he is Premier League proven & I have heard rumours that he might be leaving Arsenal in the summer. He is capable going forward as well as at the back & would be an excellent addition to our current squad. I would also like to throw Genoa’s Domenico Criscito into the equation, he is only 24 and is a current Italian international. I feel Philipp Lahm is too optimistic, I doubt he will ever leave Bayern Munich anyway.
Shaun Wright-Phillips is a bit of a legend at Manchester City but he just isn’t doing it anymore at our level, he deserves first team football and somewhere like Fulham would be an ideal club for him. So if he leaves this summer we will need to sign a replacement & the younger the better in this case. We have been strongly linked with Udinese’s 22 year old winger Alexis Sánchez in recent weeks, I would see him as an impressive replacement. He is extremely quick, confident & has scored 12 goals in 27 games this season. He would cost a fair few pennies but at just 22 he really could be the next big thing & would already rival Adam Johnson on the right wing, Adam would hate it but that’s all part of being a footballer at a big club. Another person City should take a close look at is Genoa’s 18 year old winger Stephan El Shaarawy, I doubt that any of you have ever heard of him but I see him having a huge future ahead of him. He is currently out on loan at Padova in Serie B scoring 5 goals in 21 games & he is an Italian under 19 international. El Shaarawy would probably be more suitable as he wouldn’t rival Adam Johnson straight away for a position which would keep Adam happy but is fully capable of playing in cup games etc... We have also been linked with Shakhtar Donetsk’s 20 year old attacking midfielder Douglas Costa, I believe Mancini sees Costa as a similar creative player to David Silva & is someone I would not be surprised to see at City next season. I have not seen much of Costa myself but he has scored 12 goals in 14 appearances for Shakhtar this season. Impressive!
I can see our central midfield being very similar next season to what it is now with Nigel De Jong & Yaya Toure occupying a more defensive roll. Gareth Barry has disintegrated as a footballer since the start of 2011 & Patrick Viera does a job but his wages & age are more of a negative than a positive moving into next season. Should he leave this summer that would give us three players for two positions but we need another. All these players are experienced so we don’t need another wise head, so why not sign a youngster? The obvious signing is Jack Rodwell but he hasn’t shown any signs of progression recently so that would probably a mistake. Arsenals Jack Wilshire would be the ideal signing but he has stated that he is not interested in leaving Arsenal. Someone who is currently going through a tough time at Arsenal is Cesc Fabregas, should he want out & become available in the transfer window I believe Mancini would go straight in for him. If we do qualify for the top four (touch wood), Fabregas is the calibre of player we will need at the club to reach that next level of stature. However there is somebody currently at the club that could do that job... Michael Johnson. What has happened to “the next Colin Bell”? Last we heard of him was that he was back in training and playing for the reserves but that seems an age ago. Should he not return let’s turn our attention elsewhere, Rennes 20 year old defensive midfielder Yann M'Vila looks good, he has 8 caps at international level for France & has played 66 times in the French Ligue 1. Should he desire first team football why not loan him out, at least then he is at the club & developing for the future. He has been linked with Liverpool & Manchester United in the past & really does look like the next Claude Makelele. Another potential signing for City would be Lyon’s 20 year old Miralem Pjanić who looks to be a bright player for the future as well as Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller although he is more of an attacking player. I can’t really think who Roberto Mancini might have his eye on but I am hopeful he will replace Viera this summer. If I could have anyone it would be Barca’s 26 year old Andrés Iniesta but that is not going to happen... this summer!
*Since writing this article, I have read online that we are now linked with Fabregas, he won't come cheap!
*Since writing this article, I have read online that we are now linked with Fabregas, he won't come cheap!
The whole Kolo Toure situation should be dealt with sooner rather than later, I like Kolo as a footballer but it appears he is going to be banned for at least a year & at 30 years old unfortunately this could see the end of his career at City. Joleon Lescott is a good footballer too but I don’t believe he is at the same level as most of the players around him. Therefore a new centre back should be on the cards & the name that instantly comes to mind is Juventus’s 26 year old Giorgio Chiellini. Chiellini truly is a class act, he is an Italian international with 40 caps & 2 goals to his name. Juventus are currently underachieving lying 7th in the Serie A table & will miss out on Champions League football. He did sign a new contract until 2015 in 2010 but the situation at Juventus has greatly changed since then. He is left footed & would slot superbly alongside Vincent Kompany. City have also been linked with Bolton’s Gary Cahill, who I see as a much more realistic target. Unfortunately, Dedryck Boyata has also been linked in a part-exchange deal with Gary Cahill, I feel Boyata has a bright future ahead of him & it would be a mistake for City to allow him to leave at this moment in time. Other realistic targets for us could be Fulham’s 29 year old Brede Hangeland or Roma’s 29 year old Philippe Mexès, however at that age are they really worth signing? If I could have anyone it would be Barca’s 24 year old Gerard Pique, but he is going nowhere anytime soon. Does anyone sense a Barcelona theme here somewhere...?
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not a scout at Arsenal or Barcelona but I do watch a lot of football. I most commonly watch the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga and the Italian Serie A along with all the European club competitions. It doesn’t qualify me to be a manager but I am usually there or there abouts ;)
Please leave a comment with your thoughts on who we should sign next and what you thought about this blog using the comments section below... why not follow me on Twitter too @AndySlow.
