An ill wind blowing for Thaksin?

I suggested last week that in the wake of further charges being levelled against him that it was surprising that the English press had been quiet with regards to Thaksin this summer, but the headlines this morning certainly put an end to that.

Reacting to comments coming from the club that Thaksin had been seeking additional investors to put their money into the club, the morning headlines were stating that the For Sale signs were busy being put up at Eastlands.

Of course, there were no direct quotes to back this up and I'm inclined to take this on face value that there is no intention from Thaksin to put the club on the market - something that was confirmed later in the day, and an element of sensationalism is not beyond the headline writers from Fleet Street.

Even so, it is worrying nonetheless to think we are in a position where Thaksin is in need of additional investment for the club given the levels of finance we understood to be available to him - even with a large portion of his assets continuing to be frozen, and is a stark admission that all is far from rosy for Thaksin at present as the political problems for him and his family continue to intensify.

This issue has now been suggested as the reason for a general lack of transfer activity this summer, with the reports of Corluka being sold to Tottenham (although he is 'surprisingly' playing this evening against Celtic) used as evidence and it does make the signing of Jo look questionable and the pursuit of Ronaldino even more so if the transfer purse strings are tight - something that could be exasberated further if we are having to stump up large sums this summer as part of the deals that saw the mass influx of players from abroad arrive this time last year.

Perhaps now though we are beginning to see the impact the continued legal troubles Thaksin is facing finally having a direct impact on the club if help is being sought and is a situation that many who greeted Thaksin with a touch of scepticism feared would one day happen.

Silence is usually fertile ground for rumours to start and given that the clubs response to the reports today have been far from conclusive, with only a brief comment:

"It is not true to say Thaksin Shinawatra is selling Manchester City," a City spokesman said.

"He spoke with Garry Cook this morning and those were the sentiments he echoed in very strong terms."

I don't expect the stories to subside though and given the season is now just 10 days or so away is hardly the ideal preparation - especially so given the apparant need for certain areas of the squad to be reinforced.

The danger is that for all the progress made last season, and the lofty promises made during the past year, we are in danger of standing still whilst those around us continue to move forward, and the concern for me at this stage is that once again off field issues could once again be the focal point of attention throughout the season.