Deadline day - done deals

Well what a day it has been eh?

I think we hoped that deadline day might see the arrival of one or two players to supplement the squad but who would have predicted what has occurred today - even in the crazy world of Manchester City?

It would have been a great day to be able to cover it all live but I'm now set for a frantic evening as I try and catch up on everything that has happened today, and with all the news that may yet to come in.

A couple of deals were done over the weekend, with Argentinian Pablo Zabaleta finally sealing his move and then a surprise move for Brazilian left back Glauber - who is believed to have joined on an (initial) short term one year deal from relegated Bundesliga side FC Nurnberg.

Early this morning then saw confirmation that Vedran Corluka had signed for Tottenham - putting an end to the one-off saga from the past week or so.

A disappointment in some respects to lose Corluka who is clearly a good player, but rather than for financial reasons it is clear the decision has been made on a footballing basis with Mark Hughes believing Zabaleta to be an improvement.

Hughes was believed to be tracking him from when he was in charge at Blackburn so he is obviously sold on his talents so it is a decision we need to back and there is no reason to suggest it is a bad one at this stage.

Another move out of the blue was then the signing of Felipe Caicedo by Hertha Berlin on a season long loan deal, which to me indicates that he does not have a future at the club given Hughes's reluctance to allow Ched Evans or Daniel Sturridge to follow a similar path.

Caicedo was always more of a long term 'project' but hadn't displayed the potential of either Evans or Sturridge in his brief outings and it would be a surprise if he made another appearance at the club.

Corluka to stay at the club

Manchester City Football Club has put an end to the speculation regarding the future of right back Vedran Corluka.

The popular Croatian had originally been linked with a move to Tottenham, but decided to stay with City after a heart-to-heart with manager Mark Hughes.

A delighted Mark Hughes said, "I am a huge admirer of Vedran. He is a top class player with a bright future ahead of him and I am delighted that he continues to be a part of our plans at Manchester City.

"It is a real boost for everyone at the Club. Vedran is a great lad and I am really looking forward to working with him over the coming seasons."

The player, along with the rest of the first team will report for training tomorrow as the manager and squad prepare for the Thursday night’s game against FC Midtjylland in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup.

>>mcfc.co.uk

A real positive given the negative news that has circled in recent days and a big about turn from what was expected given reports over the last couple of days.

As the statement has only just been released from the club, it will certainly be interesting to see what emerges in the next day or so with regards to the whole Corluka saga, and hopefully more clarification as regards the current financial position at the club.

Transfer rumours gather pace

After it seemed that the Corluka stories had died down and he would perhaps remain a City player, rumours gathered apace yesterday (Saturday) morning as some newspaper reports suggested that the move to Tottenham would be completed prior to the season starting, and more fuel was added to the fire when it was reported that he did not feature in the team photograph, and was then left out the side for the final pre-season game against Milan.

It does seem inevitable that Corluka is on his way, and it is disappointing news given the impressive season he had last campaign and at 22 years of age, has plenty of upside ahead of him. However, the current financial situation at the club does appear such that at the very least we need to trim the wage bill and by a strange quirk, we have to sell Corluka in order to actually finish paying for him.

Given the quality we have in defence - and this season it appears that Ben Haim is set to partner Dunne in the centre with Richards at right back, Corluka to a degree does become expendable and if we have to sell then better it be a player such as that than an enforced sale such as Richards, Petrov or Elano which would the side far more.

Having said that, it is a sad state that we find ourself in if finances are such that we are being forced into sanctioning a couple of sales to balance the books, and is something that the press are beginning to prick their ears up about as they sniff around for a headline or two.

Another player who could be on his way is Stephen Ireland. Rumours linking him to Sunderland again surfaced this weekend - partly like the Corluka scenario where it is a player who could be expendable but perhaps also because Mark Hughes does not see him fitting into the side, and he was again left out of the side yesterday (with TV later indicating he was initially told to stay away from the game).

Ireland for me is an undoubted talent - despite all his quirks and slightly odd behaviour, and whilst his progress has been somewhat steady, I do believe that given his still young age he has plenty ahead of him and whilst £5 million may well be a decent return, further ahead we could look back on a sale with a great deal of regret.

One player who appears to be staying though (for now at least) is Rolando Bianchi. The club turned down a bid from Torino which would see him move to Turin on loan with a £2 million option at the end of the season. Rumours now link him with a potential move to Genoa as it seems inevitable that he will not be with his this season and I think the only reason a move has not gone through so far is that we are trying to recoup as much of our initial outlay back for him.

An interesting week all in all then as instead of new arrivals coming into the club with season just around the corner, we are having to face the prospect of players heading out of the exit door. Not an ideal start, and with the political and financial problems for our owner ever increasing, it is with a sense of aprehension that we head towards the season with.