Kaka Talk Worrying
Manchester City is in a relegation battle. The owners and manager may not acknowledge it but those of us who have watched the club for a number of years are accustomed to the worry at this time of year. I’m really wondering why Hughes and the Abu Dhabi owners don’t simply pursue good domestic buys so the club can finish solidly mid table this season and then worry about splashy signings over the Summer. I’ve blogged a number of times on this subject. Wayne Bridge was a good signing: that’s the type of player that can enhance the squad: someone British who has experience playing football in England who can help the team safely glide towards a mid table finish.
Kaka for all his greatness, may not settle in right away and may provide more of a circus media wise which a club that is flirting with relegation cannot afford. I am surprised that Mark Hughes who understands British football well has not sought out more realistic and beneficial transfer targets.
Personally I think City may be dealing with a can of explosives. The team is not deep enough right now to ensure that relegation is avoided. The best players besides Robinho have all been young players like Caiecedo and Sturridge who are unproven over the long haul. I’d rather sign some more English vets like Bridge than chasing stars. Not only does the squad lack quality and depth but also is constantly in flux which provides some less than professional footballers the excuse of not giving a full effort for 90 minutes or on the training ground.
The posts have been infrequent on this site the past week or so because quite frankly I’m waiting for something realistic to discuss, not outlandish bids for non English based players. Sadly, City has evidently chosen an unwise course forward.
Hughes Gets Time
Filed under: Mark Hughes, Transfer Rumors, Transfer Targets
Despite being criticized roundly in the British press when they bought the club, Man City’s new owners have proven they understand the English game better than many other ownership group. Resisting the temptation spurned by gamblers and newspapers to sack Mark Hughes following City’s embarrassing performance in the FA Cup on Saturday, the owners along with Chief Executive Gary Cook maintained that Hughes will be given time to rebuild the squad.
A year and a half after Sven Goran Eriksson remade City in his image, the signings of Summer 2007 represent dead weight for the club. Martin Petrov and Valeri Bojinov are perennially injured, while Elano cannot co-exist it appears with Hughes.
Saturday’s signing of Wayne Bridge is only the beginning of Hughes attempts to bolster the squad. With City eliminated from the FA Cup, the club can concentrate on the league and European qualification for next season. Additionally, elimination from the FA Cup could boost City’s opportunity to compete with enhanced depth in the UEFA Cup.
Hughes deserves the entire season to right the ship should relegation worries not persist. A fair evaluation cannot be done of the manager until May and City’s decisive statement supporting the manager are to be applauded.
Benjani’s Injury and its Impact
Benjani’s latest injury setback. ironically as his transfers to/from Pompey come into greater scrutiny now leaves City with either inexperienced strikers (Sturridge and Evans) or ones whose form and quality has been severely lacking this season (Vassell and Jo).
Given the amount of transfer money spent on Jo this summer, and the reputation he came to club with, this is the time where he must step up. City must gain ground during the Boxing Day/New Year’s period in order to realistically compete for the European place that skipper Richard Dunne still believes is possible. Thus any conversation about January transfer targets is irrelevant for the time being.
Mark Hughes, I believe is still the right man for the job at Eastlands. His track record with Wales and Blackburn speaks for itself. The injuries that City have suffered since August and the flux created by the sale of the club have all adversely affected the performance of the team. However, the handling of the Striker situation in Benjani’s absence could go a long way to determining Hughes long term prospects with Manchester City.
Should City Focus on English Based Targets?
Rumors have circulated throughout the British press that Manchester City’s biggest transfer target in January could be David Villa. When watching Valencia, Villa has certainly been a footballer of highest class. Villa has been a prolific goal scorer in La Liga as well as with the Spanish National Team.
No doubt exists Villa would be instantly one of the most accomplished goal scorers in the Premier League. But would he have have similar trouble adjusting to the English game that other strikers who have moved from the continent have had? Villa is just the latest big name European footballer to be linked with City for the January transfer window.
With City teetering dangerously close to the relegation zone, should the club spend January trying to poach player from within England to try and finish mid table, and then pursue continental targets in the Summer?
My thinking is while City needs some more firepower desperately, it would be prudent for Mark Hughes to focus on domestic targets in January, otherwise City could become the highest payroll club ever to be relegated.
Upson a Hughes Target?
Much of the speculation about potential transfer targets for Manchester City has revolved around players either at big four clubs in England or on the continent. But with City under performing at the back and the Icelandic financial crisis crippling West Ham United, Matthew Upson has emerged as a player that could end up in City blue when the January transfer window opens.
Given Upson’s injury troubles signing him for a fee upwards of £10 million would be a risk. But City needs help in the central defense and signing a player from West Ham maybe relatively simple in the upcoming window. City will face competition for Upson however: the Telegraph reports that Harry Redknapp is interested in bringing both Upson and Rob Green to Spurs.
Would Upson be a good signing for City? I’m not sure his signing would provide anything but a short term fix at the back. Additionally Upson long history of bad injuries at both Birmingham City and West Ham is worrying. But Upson is attractive because any player at West Ham is probably going to be easier to sign this January given the current state of the club’s finances than any of the other defenders that have been publicly linked with City.
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