Santa Cruz sidelined for a month

I was expecting worse news in all honesty:

MANCHESTER City boss Roberto Mancini expects Roque Santa Cruz to be sidelined for a month with his latest calf injury.

The Paraguayan lasted just four minutes of his comeback at Everton on Saturday before going down with the same problem that caused him to miss three games over the Christmas period.

Although Mancini does not believe Santa Cruz will need an operation, despite early indications to the contrary the City chief did confirm the £18million summer arrival from Blackburn will be out of action for a month.

A big setback as I thought his brief cameo when he came on against Blackburn was a positive one and that he would finally get a run of games under his belt.

What it does mean - and I never thought I would be writing this - is that on the evidence of Saturday, as Carlos Tevez functions far better playing alongside a bigger target rather than leading the line, is that a recall for Benjani is a must for the semi-final.

Hughes praise for returning players

In addition to last night's victory, a positive was that it was achieved with a number of players who - through injury - had yet to really feature for the side this season.

In his post-match comments, Mark Hughes singled out Roque Santa Cruz and Michael Johnson in particular:

“Roque got a start and a goal as well. I thought his general play was outstanding. He allowed players to flourish around him. I was pleased for him because I think he showed everybody what he is capable of."

“In addition to that Michael has come on and scored an outstanding goal as well and we are delighted with that because for long periods while he was out it was a worry whether or not he could get back to the level of the first team. Now we understand the problem that he had and hopefully he will be able to stay fit and well."

With Adebayor, Bridge and Toure expected to be fit for the weekend trip to Birmingham, competition for places is really beginning to intensify - something that should sharpen up the focus after dropping points in recent weeks.

Santa Cruz ready

It looks as though we may see him in action tomorrow evening:

"I can't wait to get out there," he said. "I don't think people realise how excited I am about making my debut – I just can't wait to do it. I think I'm in good shape to be involved in the West Ham game. Hopefully the rush won't make me take the wrong decision. Everything is looking positive with the knee; it has dealt with the stress I have been giving it. Now I need to get my match fitness."

Santa Cruz set for return

From the MEN, ahead of tomorrow's Carling Cup tie against Fulham:

ROQUE Santa Cruz could make his long-awaited debut for City in the Carling Cup clash with Fulham.

The £17.5m striker has completed his rehab following a knee operation in April and now just needs games to regain full match fitness.

And his return can't come soon enough for Mark Hughes, who is without the suspended Emanuel Adebayor, while Craig Bellamy could also be hit with an FA ban after Sunday's explosive derby.

Robinho is also sidelined with injury.

How many changes we may see is unknown, but in the previous round at Crystal Palace Hughes fielded a full-strength side.

Given we are a few more games into the season now, I do suspect that those who have remained on the bench so far will get to see some playing time tomorrow evening.

Positive injury news

Positive news during international week for three of our players who have missed the start of the 2009/10 season.

On Roque Santa Cruz:

“We're happy with him, as I've said before we have to give him the time he needs, and he is working really hard. He's desperate to play, but we're holding him back a bit because we have a break at the moment.

“The internationals actually come at a good time for him, psychologically he's not missing any more games but he's adding to his fitness. When Roque is ready he will be involved, we want to get him in a City shirt and out there playing because he is going to be a big asset for us. With our options up front, we can give him the time he needs.

“We're looking at the long-term with him, if we introduced him too early we could still lose him on a longer basis. Roque understands our thinking over this, he's a bit frustrated but we will all benefit from it.”

On Vincent Kompany:

“Vinnie’s doing well; we are having to try to keep the reins on him too,” reported the boss. “The bone in the toe needs the time it deserves to heal, if you don't do that then the player is compromised. It will heal in its own time, but he is pain-free and raring to go.”

On Michael Johnson:

“We're positive, Michael saw a specialist a few weeks back, was very happy afterwards and since then we have been building up his fitness. The approach we are taking with Michael is that we want to give him games to give him a base level of fitness,” explained Hughes.

“He's been out for a year; if we rush him back he could break down. We'll get him involved with the reserves, and if we get him and the other two up and running in the next month or so it would be like three new signings for us.”

It is a measure of our progress this year that even with the above trio absent, we have managed their loss and not looked a weak side, something that would not be true even last season where the loss of a trio such as Santa Cruz, Kompany and Johnson would be damaging indeed.

Whilst the return of Kompany and Santa Cruz will give the squad an even stronger look, it is the return of the Johnson that for most will be the exciting one. Out for nearly eighteen months with injury it is the memory of his superb start to the 2007/08 season that we are left with, and the thought that even with a squad with the depth we now have, Johnson could well be a key component.

Santa Cruz ruled out

From BBC Sport:

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes says he expects newly-signed striker Roque Santa Cruz to be out of action until the end of August.

The 27-year-old joined from Blackburn for a reported £18m with City aware that he needed knee surgery.

"We knew he'd have a period of rehab when we signed him, but we have good options up front," Hughes told the club's website.

"Rather than bring him back too soon I'd give him the time he needs."

Santa Cruz signs

"I'm very happy to have signed for City - it's been close to happening for a while, and now I can just focus on football and concentrate on doing my best for the club.

"I know the kind of football Mark Hughes wants to play and the kind of character he is - he's a winner, he wants to make things happen and be successful. Those are always my thoughts as well, so knowing what he wants was a big factor in coming here, because I know the club is going in the right direction.

"I know his staff and the kind of training they will have the team doing, so everything was very attractive for me.

"The owners want the club to be more successful - they want to break into the top four, and the fact that the fans are so passionate about everything to do with City was also a factor. I am very motivated to play for these fans.

"I spoke to the Chairman and I know his ambitions are known to everybody at the club - he made sure that I know as well. It was a good conversation. He wants the best for the club and to give something back to the fans."

>>Roque Santa Cruz.

"We're obviously delighted to get him here. It was really important that we signed him, because it's an area of the squad that we have needed to address for some time, and the qualities Roque brings will be of great benefit.

"His ability in the air and his physical presence are qualities we've been missing, but he also has technical ability and good pace for a big man. He's a very good player and one I know well from our time at Blackburn."

>>Mark Hughes.

The expected transfer was confirmed via the official site earlier this afternoon, and any possible concerns about his injury history must have been answered during the medical.

The potential move divided opinion amongst fans, and whilst there are plenty of positives - goals, physical presence and familiarity with Hughes's coaching and 'system', there are also negatives - injury history, an inflated fee and the concern he is a one-season wonder.

Only time will tell as to whether his signing is a hit or bust, but my own immediate reaction on the signing being concluded is a positive one.

Santa Cruz undergoing medical

Roque Santa Cruz is undergoing a medical at Manchester City ahead of his proposed move to Eastlands.

The long-term City target is finally set to complete his switch from Blackburn for a fee believed to be around £18million.

>>skysports.com

We may be some time.

I would be surprised if, having nailed his colours so clearly to the Santa Cruz mast, that Hughes would be keen to see the deal falling through at this stage due to an obvious (and public) injury, so would not be surprised if some prior due dilligence on his condition was conducted.

Santa Cruz fee agreed

It was first reported through Sky Sports, but has now been more widely reported that a fee has been agreed with Blackburn for Roque Santa Cruz.

I'll post more in length once the transfer is concluded (reported to be early next week) but my initial thoughts are that he will bring something else to the squad that we don't currently possess, and adding goals is never an easy task of course. There are however plenty of questions over Santa Cruz which do hang over the move.

I suppose a big question will be what effect this may now have on potential pursuits for Tevez or Eto'o, with a view being that this signing means that one or both will now not be arriving.But if we have the possibility of landing all three this will seriously upgrade an area that was lacking last season. If this is the case, I don't see Hughes passing up such an opportunity.

Santa Cruz still looking for move

Unsettled Blackburn Rovers striker Roque Santa Cruz revealed to Radio Nanduti that he has been discussing his exit from the club over the course of recent weeks.

"I have already told [Blackburn], and they know that before the transfer window closes I would like to continue my career at a bigger, more ambitious team," revealed the 27-year-old.

>>goal.com

Whilst we will no doubt be linked with any number of strikers during the summer months, if Mark Hughes remains in charge, then I would still think it likely that he will be the number 1 target (especially if we have no European football as the carrot to dangle in front of other prospective targets).

After missing out on Santa Cruz in January, it has been clear that we do still lack a genuine goalscorer with presence in and around the box and should his injury problems clear up, Santa Cruz could very well likely be the answer.

No deal for Santa Cruz

According to the MEN:

MANCHESTER City will have to do without long-time target Roque Santa Cruz.

A high asking priced combined with Blackburn struggling to find a replacement scuppered the move, despite reports that a deal was back on as the minutes ticked down to the 5pm deadline.

£25 million is clearly in excess of what Santa Cruz is worth, but we now find ourselves in a position without bringing a much needed player of that style to the club.

Disappointing therefore that it doesn't appear as though there was an alternative to Santa Cruz, and given Hughes's comments regarding the need for more presence up front, the hope as far as I can see is that Bojinov is almost ready to return to action.

A big ask for a player who has effectively been out for 18 months though.

Transfer deadline day - 5pm

5pm has now been and gone and no official confirmation regarding Roque Santa Cruz, although it does appear as though a potential deal has not materialised.

Disappointing news for me if this is the case, as (disregarding the fee) we are in need of reinforcements in the striking department.

However, although the 5pm deadline has passed, deals can still be announced so any late wrangling between the two clubs may still lead to his signing.

It doesn't appear likely though.

Transfer deadline day - 30 mins to go

Things are really beginning to heat up now.

Plenty circulating about Santa Cruz, with rumours of player(s) heading in the opposite direction. Any ideas who may be lined?

SkyBet have him at 5/4 to sign for us, but 4/6 to remain at Ewood Park.

The Guardian's tracker is also reporting we have rejected an £8 million bid from Newcastle for Michael Johnson. Also confirmed by Sky. I doubt the fee is the issue so safe to say we have no intention of selling him.

Transfer deadline day - 3 hours to go

Nothing on the official site as yet, but the Liverpool Daily Post are reporting that the Jo loan deal has been completed, and that he will train with Everton today.

I guess this is a win-win for us in that given Jo has fallen well down the pecking order as the season has progressed, he would be doing no more than warming the bench for us so. Given Everton's striking crisis, he should see some decent playing time so the hope is that he can discover some form and return a better player in the summer. And I suppose it does put him in the shop window if there are any clubs interested in signing him on a permanent basis.

The BBC's live tracker (at 13.05) are suggesting that the Santa Cruz deal is dead in the water, with Sky Sports News reporting we failed to match Rovers' valuation of £25 million. Interesting as I have maintained the deal would be completed. If Santa Cruz is not coming, are the club working other avenues?

Transfer deadline day - 6 hours to go

It seems as though Jo's move to Everton will go through, with Sky Sports News stating he is set to arrive at Goodison Park to complete a move.

Michael Johnson's name has cropped up again, with Sky Sports News suggesting that Newcastle have lodged a bid for the player, with Johnson apparantly keen on the move:

Skysports.com understands that Johnson is very much
open to the idea heading to the North East and Newcastle are hopeful they can
conclude a deal before the 5pm deadline.
City value Johnson highly, but
Newcastle are believed to be offering around £8million and they are confident
that will be enough for City to sell.

This would be a terrible move for me. Surely Johnson has shown enough already and promises far too much to cut ties with him so soon.

Nothing further regarding Roque Santa Cruz, but I still maintain this one will go through, most likely Blackburn currently working on a deal to land a replacement.

Friday transfer round up - a busy morning

A busy day news wise so far, with a further bid for Roque Santa Cruz being rejected by Blackburn. Mark Hughes said of the bid:

"Yesterday afternoon we put an improved bid in for Roque
Santa Cruz that was rejected, (the bid) an improvement. “We have to make a
decision on that and the window is open until the second so we’ve got time if we
decide to do that.”

What could be in our favour is that it is being reported that Blackburn are hoping to land either Peter Crouch or El-Hadj Diouf which could signal Santa Cruz's exit from the club.

No further progress on Shay Given, but again, Hughes confirmed their has been a bid lodged:

“The situation with Newcastle is that obviously we’ve put in
a bid for Shay Given and we haven’t had an update on that.
“I’ve said
I’m looking to bring in an experienced keeper and he ticks the box in that
respect. Whether or not the deal happens we’ll have to wait and see."

Furthermore to this, it has been reported that Given has failed to show for training this morning at newcastle.

A couple of players linked with oves out of the club with Fulham being turned down with their bid to take Felipe Caicedo on loan for the remainder of the season, whilst out of favour Jo has been linked with a move to surprise Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim.

Thursday transfer round up - running out of time?

With Sky Sports News deadline ticker edging closer to showing just three full days remaining, our final negotiations will need to be concluded swiftly in order to be completed in time.

Sam Allardyce has already said today that 'time has run out' on our attempt to land Roque Santa Cruz, and given Matt Derbyshire has today joined Olympiacos Blackburn have very little time to land a replacement for Santa Cruz now.

Rumours also linked the striker with a move to Tottenham today, and if Hughes's interest in the player remains, then it looks as though we will have to get close to £20 million as his value will surely increase as we approach the Monday deadline.

Still no concrete news regarding Shay Given, with Joe Kinnear labelling our supposed offer of £5 million an 'insult'. However, Sky Sports News were confident enough to suggest a deal should be complete within the next 24 hours.

These two transfers have remained constant throughout the whole of the window and are still expected to be concluded before Monday's 5pm deadline. With Saturday's game against Stoke fast approaching, it is looking increasingly likely like it will be a busy newsday on Monday.

Sunday transfer round up - Richards to Arsenal?

Biggest 'story' circulating around today concerns Micah Richards, amidst a reported £7 milion bid from Arsenal. This of course following on from reports at the end of last week linking him with both Wigan and Bolton.

I don't see a situation where Mark Hughes sanctions his departure, and certainly not for a fee of just £7 million. Arseblogger summarily dismisses this link too.

One interesting point worth speculating on though with this story is that it doesn't appear as though Richards and Vincent Kompany have forged the best of relationships, and given the acquisition of Nigel de Jong seems to point to Kompany moving back into defence, could this be something Hughes may factor in?

We were discussed quite extensively on Sky Sports 'Sunday Supplement' this morning, amongst other things discussing Richards. Ian McGarry from The Sun was on the programme and struck as being very 'anti-City'. Remarkably, he suggested that Richards needs to leave the club in order "to get more games". During the programme, he also stated it was well known that Mark Hughes would not be in charge next season and that Robinho was "desperate" to leave the club - so much so that he has come back from Brazil early in order to try and engineer a move.

Make of all that what you will.

UPDATE 17:38 - Sky Sports have an article and video up on their site featuring McGarry's comments:

The Shay Given link has surfaced again today, partly because of reports suggesting David James could move to Newcastle as a replacement for the soon to be departed Given. From what I've read of James, he appears settled on the South Coast so I don't see him moving up to the North-East - especially given Newcastle's current plight.

With just a week to go though before the window shuts for the season, I'd imagine there will be avenues being explored right until the deadline a week tomorrow. Strongest links of course remain Shay Given and Roque Santa Cruz, and I would still be surprised if deals were not concluded.

Although we have two games this week (Newcastle on Wednesday and Stoke on Sunday), expect transfer news to dominate the headlines this week as things heat up before the window shuts at 5pm on February 2nd.

Santa Cruz frustrated over move

Slight overshadowed of late with most press attention on moves for Kaka and Bellamy, but Roque Santa Cruz will remain high on Hughes's wanted list.

Given the lack of progress over a move, Santa Cruz took to the press to try and advance his position:

"The truth is that I do not know how much they [Blackburn] want, actually I thought that what they were now offered, £16m, would be accepted," Santa Cruz, 27, told a Paraguayan radio station, Futbol a lo Grande.

"But apparently they are concerned about not finding a replacement when I go; that is what is giving them doubts.

"You hear all the time that the club have asked for £20m and I don't know if City are going to offer that or if they are going to increase their bid. For US$35m–37m (£25.4m) Blackburn said that I will be allowed to leave.

"I will communicate and talk to the club and the coach, they know my position. I want to go."

It all sounds fairly stern stuff from Santa Cruz - who is not a stranger to putting his message out via the press - and I imagine Blackburn will soon have to decide what path they want to follow with him.

I would still be extremely surprised if he didn't sign with us by the end of January, with both clubs giving a little to get the deal done - although it may well go to the wire to get completed.

Saturday transfer round up - Hughes forced abroad

According to The Daily Mail, both Mark Hughes and the clubs backers are becoming increasingly frustrated over the desire of clubs we are negotiating with attempting to over inflate the fee of players we are interested in:

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes is considering shopping abroad in the transfer window because Premier League clubs are pricing themselves out of the market.

Hughes and the club's billionaire backers from Abu Dhabi have reached the end of their tether after being stunned to learn it will cost them more than £15million each to sign defenders Joleon Lescott of Everton and West Ham's Matthew Upson.

Much like the current situation with Roque Santa Cruz, despite have unlimited reserves to spend there does have to be some sense applied when buying players - and surely fees in excess of £15 million for the players we are interested in are wildly excessive?

It does make you wonder though if there is a Plan B that the club have to fall back on given that we are almost approaching the half way point of the window and the frustration at the club is clearly growing over the inability to bring players in.

The article also suggests this is having a knock on effect on certain players as it is leaving them unsure of their future roles at the club.

A report in The Guardian indicates that target Craig Bellamy would prefer a move to Tottenham due to the fact he believes he has a greater chance of first team football. A logical thought and I haven't altered my opinion that character issues aside, I just don't see where he fits into our side.

The Express this morning ran a piece suggesting a gentlemans agreement was in place between the club and Michael Owen whereby he would join the club in the summer on the proviso that we remained in the Premier League and he remained fit for the remainder of this season.

A fully fit Owen seems a good pick up to me and you would he would guarantee goals in a side creating as many opportunities as ourselves. However, fitness has to be a concern and he does not possess a good record against the top four sides - a definite worry if we are to have ambitions of Champions League football.