Benjani move confirmed

As expected, the loan transfer of Benjani to Sunderland was confirmed today and it is all but certain that his career with us is now over with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.

It is a good move for Benjani as he remains in the Premier League and goes to a side where he will likely see plenty of playing, something he would not be afforded (despite his recent stint as a stand-in) with the return of Emmanuel Adebayor.

Steve Bruce clearly thinks he has landed himself a good player (and it must be noted that there was plenty of interest in him) anyway:

"He's a big, strong, powerful centre forward and one we've been tracking for a long time," Bruce said. "I'm delighted that we've been able to bring him to the club. He'll bring another dimension to our striking options and will be a great addition to the squad."

It is easy to dismiss Benjani's time at the club as a failure, yet he was in many ways a victim of the circumstances that have swept through the club over the past 12-18 months. When he first arrived, my view was that he was a useful, if somewhat underwhelming signing but he performed fairly credibly initially and of course etched his name into derby folklore with the his goal at Old Trafford in our 2-1 victory.

But when the significant money began to arrive he found himself frozen out of the side during the time Mark Hughes was in charge - perhaps surprisingly when you look back and consider options in attack were limited and both Ched Evans and Felipe Caicedo were regular fixtures in the starting line up.

His rather languid style may not have endeared himself to Hughes though and until his recent surprise recall he was well and truly cast into the wilderness. There can be no argument that our progress and ambition means his future lies elsewhere, but he always struck as an affable character and he certainly won't go with any ill will towards him.

Career stats:

Season	Apps	Goals
2007/08	13	3
2008/09	8(4)	3
2009/10	4(2)	1

Mariga deal falls through.....and Inter nip in

One deal that was expected to be a 'sure thing' today ended in frustrastion as McDonald Mariga slipped through our grasp and ended up signing for Inter in a co-ownership agreement with his current club Parma.

It appears as though a deal was agreed in principle, but as I anticipated a couple of days ago we ran into problems attaining a work permit for the Kenyan:

Mariga, who has 24 caps, met part of the UK criteria after playing in 75% of Kenya's games in the last two years.

But his application was rejected as Kenya are ranked 98th in Fifa's world rankings, outside the top 70 nations.

City attended an appeal at Wembley on Monday morning but failed to overturn the decision about the 22-year-old.

A further appeal could have been lodged but would have meant a deal could not have been completed until the next transfer window.

Frustration I'm sure then turned to exasperation as later in the day it was announced that Mariga had signed for Inter, who had also coveted the player:

McDonald Mariga has officially signed for Inter as they agreed a £4m co-ownership deal with Parma.

The Kenya born midfielder was very close to a move to Manchester City in the past few days but negotiations didn't go ahead due to visa problems.

Unfortunately, Mariga has paid the price for having Kenyan nationality and it is something seen before where a player meets all the relevant criteria to be awarded a work permit, with the exception of being eligible for a side in the top 70 ranked countries in the world.

Whilst the overwhelming majority had never seen Mariga play, the comments left on here certainly suggest a player with immense potential and indicate him as a player who could have had a big future with us.

Johnson signs

The deal that many expected was finally confirmed just before the transfer deadline this afternoon as we landed Adam Johnson for an undisclosed fee:

The Club is delighted to announce that Adam Johnson has joined us from Middlesbrough for an undisclosed fee after agreeing terms and passing a medical this afternoon.

The former England Under-21 winger, who has signed a contract until June 2014, steps straight into Roberto Mancini's squad against Hull on Saturday. He will wear the traditional No.11.

Johnson, who played 19 games for England Under-21s and scored four goals, has played 96 times for Boro, scoring 13 times and making a firm impression on the game's shrewdest judges.

Although it was confirmed as an undisclosed fee, the MEN are suggesting it is in the region of an initial £6million, rising to £10 million with add-ons. Although Johnson was out of contract in the summer, given his age (meaning we would have had to have paid a compensatory figure anyway) and undoubted potential it is a fair figure.

I am excited about the move. Johnson is very highly thought of in the game and impressed in our FA Cup meeting before being forced off through injury. He had his path blocked a little by Stewart Downing early in his career and spent time on loan at both Leeds and Watford but returned for the 2008/09 season where he made twenty-six appearances in Middlesbrough's relegation campaign.

Interestingly enough, Johnson has often featured on the right wing (or 'off-wing') - something that Mancini (amongst many others at the moment) is fond of utilising and far from him being banished to the reserves my view is that he will see plenty of playing time over the remainder of the season.

A further point to consider is the potential effect this could have on Martin Petrov's future. Out of contract in the summer of course, he has often been linked with moves away from the club (with rumours today of a move to Everton) and perhaps this signing pushes the Bulgarian closer to the exit door?

Johnson bid 'increased'

Sky Sports News understands that Manchester City have made an improved offer for Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson.

City made a move for the talented 22-year-old earlier in the week, only for Boro boss Gordon Strachan to reject the approach.

Although Johnson is understood to want the chance to hold transfer talks, Boro, for now, hold the key to his short-term future.

>>skysports.com.

As I posted previously, I expected an increased bid from us and would be confident of it being successful. Middlesbrough, I'm sure, would take a bid in the region of £6 million as opposed to seeing him walk when his contract expires in the summer.

It always amazes me though quite why deals are left until the very end of the transfer window, and unless we can get a fee agreed soon we run the danger of not being able to complete by tomorrow's 5pm deadline.

The end for Robinho?

Official confirmation of the move:

The Club can confirm that it has reached agreement with Santos for Robinho to join them on a six-month loan. The agreement takes immediate effect and ends on August 4.

Santos will assume all of the player's contract terms, including wages and bonuses. Robinho will travel to Brazil on Sunday to begin his loan period.

Manager Roberto Mancini said: "Robinho is someone who needs to be playing regularly and we wish him well for the period of his loan."

Perhaps the only surprise coming out of this is the sentance; "Santos will assume all of the player's contract terms, including wages and bonuses" as it initially appeared that we would still be on the hook for the majority of Robinho's wages. Reports of having first option on promising youngsters has been suggested and it would be interesting to look at exactly how Santos are funding his contract given the fact Brazilian clubs - despite the presence of Ronaldo, Adriano and Roberto Carlos - have nowhere the resources to match their European counterparts.

Judging by the thread on the MEN story of the move it has really polarised fans and likewise with the poll here on Bitter and Blue. The most talented since Kinkladze or a complete dud?

His early days at the club were headline-grabbing from the moment he arrived on deadline day in August 2008. A goal on debut against Chelsea and individual moments of quality were the theme and a hero was born. As the winter closed in though, so did his early form. A loss of form coincided with poor results and the pressure grew on Mark Hughes. Away games brought new lows and the criticism grew as his effectiveness dwindled and reports of a rift between him and Hughes surfaced.

The 2009/10 season began and it was clear that Robinho was no longer first choice for Hughes. Struggling to regain the highs of the previous year, he spent time on the bench and on the rare opportunities he had was ineffective and perhaps most criminal for City fans, appeared not to have the required desire. After coming back from injury, he had a couple of opportunities under Roberto Mancini, who talked of him being an important player.

The nadir was perhaps reached though during the 2-0 defeat at Everton, when having been introduced as an early substitute for the injured Roque Santa Cruz, he suffered the indignity of being himself substituted later in the game. How the media pounced. With rumours of a move to Brazil surfacing, he was left out of the squad for the trip to United this week before the loan deal was announced this afternoon.

World Cup year or not, what Robinho needs is a consistent run of games to get himself back in the shape and form that he was in over the first half of last season, when he was a genuine game changing player and proved the undoubted quality that he has. The difficulty this season as opposed to last is given the strengthening of the squad in the attacking positions there is very little scope for him to get the opportunity for a consistent run. Last season of course, there was no Martin Petrov to challenge on the left and Craig Bellamy only arrived at the end of January. Realistically, there is no way he beats either player out on current form, and it is inconceivable that would change between now and the end of the season.

I do view the situation as somewhat of a romantic in that to all but throw in the towel on a player who is a real game changer and as captivating to watch as Robinho is a real shame and cling to the hope that he can become an integral part of our push for success both over the remainder of 2009/10 and beyond.

Although it is a loan deal that has been agreed, it is difficult to see a future for him at the club. Had a side been willing to pay a suitable fee to facilitate a permanent move, it is certain that a transfer would have been agreed. As it stands, on August 4th he is slated to return to Manchester yet will surely never pull on the blue shirt again.

As much as the hope is he could somehow come back revitalised and ready for 2010/11, unfortunately the history of football is littered with big name high profile examples of players at clubs who, for one reason or another, just failed to make it work.

It now appears that the name of Robinho will be the next to join that list.

Motta deal 'close'

Further to the reported bid for Adam Johnson, it has also been suggested that a deal for rumoured target Marcelo Motta could be imminent according to Sky Sports:

Roma and Udinese co-own Motta, but the Italian duo are willing to send him to England on loan as he does not figure in their plans this season.

Motta's representatives are believed to have held talks with City earlier this week and the former Italy Under 21 international is due to fly into England in the next few days to tie up the move.

The question with Motta is how much of an upgrade of the current players in the position will he be as we hardly short of quality in that area.

nother interesting point in the transfers and rumours we are involved in is that in general they have been for short term loans (until the end of the season). Does this suggest it is by no means guaranteed that Roberto Mancini will be with us beyond the end of 2009/10?

Johnson bid reported

Manchester City will attempt to get over their Carling Cup disappointment by signing England Under-21 star Adam Johnson from Middlesbrough.

It is understood the Blues have lodged a bid for Johnson and they hope to conclude a deal before the end of the transfer window.

Johnson scored twice for Boro in their victory over Doncaster on Tuesday night but has been touted for a move away from the Riverside since the Teessiders were relegated last season.

>>MEN.

With the focus soon to shift away from the Carling Cup and derby games, potential transfers and likely targets will fall back under the spotlight and this is one that has been reported almost immediately following tonight's game.

Johnson was an impressive figure during the early stages of the recent FA Cup tie and comes with a big reputation. No doubt he would be an option on the left hand side to fill the gap in the squad created by Robinho's imminent departure.

Would this mean a possible move for Crystal Palace's Victor Moses may no longer be forthcoming though?

Mancini - 'I need players'

That is the message from Roberto Mancini this morning from the comments in Gazzetto dello Sport that have been widely picked up here in the UK:

"I need players," Mancini was quoted as saying in Gazzetta dello Sport. "Perhaps Real Madrid will give me Gago, maybe Milan [will give me] Flamini..."

The link with Flamini surfaced earlier this week of course, but the Gago link is a new one. The benefits of adding Flamini to the squad are obvious, with his versatility being a key asset and the fact that the midfield is the one area that has been really stretched and overworked so far this season. The Gago one perhaps less so though. I don't particularly know much about the player so will defer to JPB on this.

The links with both Flamini and Gago have also been reported by the MEN (Flamini and Gago), with the Flamini link looking quite solid (it even suggests he could arrive in time for next weeks second leg against United).

The most obvious question is quite where either (or both) players will fit in. Whilst de Jong and Barry have been virtual ever presents, the central midfield area will have a very congested look with more additions given Stephen Ireland and Patrick Vieira's imminent return.

I took a look at this after the arrival of Patrick Vieira, so throw one or two more into the mix and Mancini will have some very frustrated players on his hands and does either potential arrival really improve the options available to Mancini?

McGivern extends Leicester loan

Via mcfc.co.uk:

Ryan McGivern has had his loan to Leicester City extended until the end of the season.

The defender's initial deal with the Foxes was until the end of January, but both clubs have reached agreement on allowing the Northern Ireland international to gain more experience in the Championship. Leicester are currently in fifth position in the table.

Bid for Moses next?

Hot on the heels of the Patrick Vieira signing, The Guardian reports that a bid for Crystal Palace forward Victor Moses is next:

City have identified Moses as a possible star of the future and hope to capitalise on Palace's financial problems by agreeing terms to make the 19-year-old the seventh striker on the club's books.

Brian Marwood, City's football administrator, has already spoken extensively to Palace but made it clear to the Championship club that his employers would not be persuaded to spend in excess of the player's true worth just because of the immense wealth afforded to them by their owner in Abu Dhabi.

As I posted previously when Moses name first surfaced, I don't see this as an obvious fit. As well as adding the likes of Vieira; the 'win now' type of players, the club has added youngsters from across Europe over the past eighteen months.

Yet these have often been genuine 'ones for the future', and although Moses is only 19 years old, he doesn't appear to be the type of player to bring through the ranks to be ready in 3-5 years time. In addition, there isn't a glaring need in attack for him, and he certainly isn't going to beat out any of the current incumbents for a starting role.

I may ultimately be proved wrong, but it does strike as a strange target for us to pursue.

Mancini rules out Serie A trio

Whilst managers are not usually too willing to confirm details of potential transfer targets, Roberto Mancini has spoken candidly to the Italian media to rule out signing any of the trio of Chiellini, Gattuso or Balotelli, who have all been strongly linked since he arrived at the club:

"Chiellini is the key to Juve's defence so it seems a bit difficult they would let him go. The same goes for Balotelli and Gattuso."

Of the three, only Chiellini makes any sense as a signing, yet I would be extremely surprised if Juve were willing to let him leave.

Apart from a couple of possible additions in areas Mancini identifies, I still maintain that we do not make a raft of signing between now and the end of January.

More on agents payments

Mark Hughes was commenting on this story from yesterday:

"If you do a lot of deals – and overall something like 35 were included – given the expenditure and the turnover of players involved, you would expect a figure like that. There is a role that has to be met and, at the moment, agents fill it."

"Do they provide value for money? You have to base every deal on its merits. Sometimes you feel the agent has really done his job, on others you feel he is getting money for nothing. At times they can muddy the waters. Some deals can seem quite straightforward and then they become complicated at the end. On other occasions the deal goes through very quickly."

There was an automatic assumption that the figure we paid (which put us at the top of the list) was inflated as a result of the big money moves that saw the likes of Robinho, Adebayor, Lescott and Tevez arrive.

Whilst clubs have to release details of the overall amount paid out to agents, there is no requirement to disclose the amounts paid for each individual transfer. Given these further comments from Hughes, it may not necessarily have been the case that they were all on his watch:

"Agents want to work with us – I wonder why," he pondered. "We do a lot of the work that in the past agents have been able to bring to a club in terms of recommending players. Some agents will tell you they have the best player in the world. Now we can make that judgment ourselves because we have seen him 10 times. That has not always been the case.

"Without doubt I would say we are in a better place than we were 12 months ago."

I don't doubt that the Robinho and Tevez transfers resulted in a hefty payments, but given that the club confirmed that some of the payments stemmed from deals made prior to the reporting period (1 October 2008-30 September 2009), an interesting question would be how much of this was as a result of the deals that Sven made during the summer of 2008.

We know that he hastily assembled a side after taking over, with virtually a new side (in terms of numbers) being brought in. These deals were reportedly done having used his contacts in the game (the name of Pini Zahavi often seemed to loom large), and we also now know that the transfer fees paid were largely done on a staggered basis with further payments kicking in during the summer of 2009.

The club, as we are not a listed company, do not have to publish annual accounts (unless I am mistaken) so there is no requirement to ever disclose details of individual transfers. As I mentioned yesterday, whilst it is an important step that clubs now have to disclose details, exactly how much was paid out for what, and maybe more importantly, to whom.

One for David Conn perhaps.

Agents fees announced

From the official site:

In line with the Football Association Agent's Regulations, Manchester City Football Club hereby disclose details of agents' fees paid over the past year as being £12,875,283.

The figures, being released by all Premier League clubs today, have been verified and reconciled by The Football Association, and include fees paid to agents for incoming as well as outgoing transfers, the renegotiation of existing player registrations as well as fees paid to agents during the stated period, but which relate to transactions predating it.

The amount paid covers the period 1 October 2008-30 September 2009 and the making public of the figures is a requirement of the Premier League, which all clubs have to adhere to.

The Premier League confirmed that the fees paid cover all of the following:

• Fees paid to agents by Clubs in respect of acquiring and/or renegotiating Player Registrations.
• Fees paid to agents by Clubs on behalf of players in respect of acquiring and/or renegotiating Player Registrations.
• Fees paid to agents during the defined period relating to previous transaction costs (i.e. Player Registrations prior to 1st October 2008) that have been amortised over the length of a Player Contract.
• Fees paid to agents by Clubs to facilitate the outward transfer of Player Registrations.
  

The figures relate to all permanent and loan signings, first contracts and re-negotiations/extension of existing contracts.

It is quite a staggering amount to be paid out, but not surprising considering the level of transfer fees that we have paid out this summer, the January transfer window and even back to the summer of 2008 (when Sven-Goran Eriksson arrived) as the club confirmed that payments included relate to a total of 35 transactions, some of which predated the past year.

The overall figures show that our total of £12,875,283 is 18% of the total amount of £70,692,513 paid out by Premier League clubs. No surprise then that we comfortably top the table, paying out around £3million more than Chelsea (in second place) and 50% more than Liverpool in third place:

Arsenal	£4,760,241
Aston Villa	£1,708,374
Birmingham City	£974,982
Blackburn Rovers	£1,610,885
Bolton Wanderers	£3,166,611
Burnley	£468,398
Chelsea	£9,562,223
Everton	£2,008,407
Fulham	£1,469,258
Hull City	£1,599,188
Liverpool	£6,657,305
Manchester City	£12,874,283
Manchester United	£1,517,393
Portsmouth	£3,184,725
Stoke City	£716,042
Sunderland	£2,007,040
Tottenham Hotspur	£6,066,935
Wigan Athletic	£5,527,548
West Ham United	£3,576,972
Wolverhampton Wanderers	£1,235,703
Total (across 803 transactions)	£70,692,513

The club have spoken of the past transfer window comprising what in effect was a number of transfer windows such was the opportunity to land the players we did, and of course bringing in the amount of players we have in such a short time was always going to affect the amount paid to agents as a result:

“As has previously been stated by our Chief Executive Garry Cook, the level of player acquisition over the past year has been unprecedented as we have sought to rebuild our playing squad.

Squad building at this level and within such a short time frame is unlikely to be repeated. The figure in question relates to payments made for 35 players, many of whom predate this time period. The fees represent an average of £360,000 per transaction, and the total amount falls well within our annual budget and operating plan as approved by our board.”

It may 'only' represent £360,000 per transaction, but that is a nice spin put on matters given the wide scope of business it represents. If you look at the individual transfers we have completed - namely Robinho, Adebayor, Lescott and particularly Tevez, we undoubtedly paid out some serious money to facilitate these moves, although there are no figures released that relate to individual transfers which is a pity as we could perhaps get a clearer, more rounded view of exactly what was paid out, and maybe more importantly, to whom.

Future transfer strategy

There are some interesting comments from Garry Cook that have been picked up in or two areas of the press the past day concerning the future transfer strategy:

“That is absolutely (a model to aspire to) because, financially, it’s a better model than one where you get into negotiating a market price that has no pre-determining factors other than supply and demand.

“That’s a model I don’t subscribe to and one I don’t want to be beholden to. I would rather control or manage our destiny over the long-term.

“What we are clear on is that we don’t think there will be another couple of windows like we have just been through. And I think you’re going to see Manchester City really ramp up its activity in the youth area, in the development area of players.

“There’s often opinion that we are just going to keep buying players, but that’s actually the antithesis of what we’re trying to do.”

It is no secret that the focus on scouting and the Academy on a more worldwide scale has been ramped up over the past year - notably with Jim Cassell taking on his new role as 'overseer' - and it is a strategy that makes sense in the long term.

Cook I believe has spoken previously on this issue, but more in line with defending the high transfer fees and wages that have been outlayed so far, a move that is not necessarily sustainable if you are trying to balance the books but important given our starting position and the need to elevate the club into being a perennial Champions League contender where the income and revenue streams generated naturally increase as a result.

Once you are at that level where you are competing at the very top, the need to add the best part of half a dozen players during a transfer window is no longer there and you operate more along the lines of adding just one 'ready made' players during the summer along with younger, more long term 'projects' that can be developed over time.

This though is still some time away of course. There is talk of the January window in particular being a quiet one - and history shows there are not many big moves during this month - should we be in or on the fringes of the Champions League qualification places, with a very real shot at the top four then I can see Cook pulling the trigger on a couple of big moves to provide that extra impetus over the remainder of the season.

Cook - 'A quiet January in store'

"January is always busy, busier for some more than others," said Cook.

"Mark has some thoughts and some plans but they are by no means as aggressive as they have been in the past.

"We have a great squad of players that are just getting bedded in and we might find there is more speculation about what we might do than what we actually do."

>>MEN.

Young duo linked

A pair of young prospects were linked over the weekend with imminent moves to the club. Firstly, Slovenian midfielder Rene Krhin - currently at Inter, who The People suggest is all but a done deal:

Krhin should join Hughes's revolution in the New Year, with City keen to do business now before he costs even more - and possibly appears in the World Cup finals for his country next summer.

Sickening Boss Jose Mourinho has tried to keep Krhin sweet at Inter with a couple of first-team appearances in Serie A and the Champions League, but pals of the star say that City are offering him a huge deal and the chance to develop with them.

Hughes has a lot of quality in his midfield already, but he does not have someone with Krhin's physique on the books and sees the 19-year-old as a first-team squad man immediately and a starter soon after.

Krhin will cost big money because Inter have him under contract for another 18 months but City think they will be successful as they carry on their push to dominate the transfer market.

Whilst The Mail reports Hughes is set to move for Sporting Lisbon centre-half Daniel Carrico:

And Hughes wants to spend heavily again to bring Carrico to the Barclays Premier League.

Carrico's current contract does not expire until July 2013 - but the right-footed defender does have an £18.4m release clause.

Spanish side Atletico Madrid are also keen on Carrico, who has played 13 games for Sporting this season.

It is difficult to know quite how accurate either story really is, and they certainly haven't been widely reported.

However, and despite the money lavished on the squad so far during 2009, I don't think Hughes is ready to stand still with the squad so although there may not be a number of high profile arrivals, there could be one or two for the future added in January.

Record fee for Tevez?

A big story that broke late Friday was this one in The Times which stated the actual figure paid for Carlos Tevez was £47 million rather than the more widely reported (at the time of the transfer) £25 million:

Manchester City are paying an astonishing £47 million fee to Carlos Tévez’s private “owners” in a move that obliterates the British transfer record. The deal makes the Argentina striker the fifth most expensive footballer of all time.

City’s billionaire Arab owners have agreed to pay almost twice the £25.5 million fee widely reported to have changed hands, The Times can reveal. An initial £15 million payment is to be followed by two additional sums of £16 million.

Another £3.5 million will be paid if City win the Champions League while Tévez is at the club — an improbable scenario, but Sheikh Mansour has already shown the lengths to which he is prepared to go to transform the club from perennial underachievers into contenders for the biggest prizes.

This was followed by a denial from Kia Joorabchian today:

"This story is inaccurate and misleading. There appears to be the hand of mischief at work as the numbers quoted are fictitious. There was also no mystery about the true details as full disclosure was made both to the Football Association and the Premier League."

You would expect Tevez's advisors to deny a higher figure was involved, and as no word has come from the club - nor would any likely be forthcoming - it is difficult to do anything other than speculate as to the validity of the report.

What I would say is given the complexity of his ownership and the history involved with Tevez's transfer is that whatever the fee or terms of payment were confirmed to the appropriate authorities when the transfer was concluded, this would surely be the fee paid.

Anything other than an open and transparent negotiation would have been folly on the clubs part.

Club refute poaching allegations

The club have moved to deny any wrongdoing with the signing of Jeremy Helan:

Manchester city is aware of the ongoing contractual dispute in the French Labour courts between Jeremy Helan and Stade Rennais. The dispute between the player and the Club pre-dates any interest from Manchester City.

Manchester City obviously cannot comment on the case until the French Judicial Process has run its course, however we are comfortable that we have acted within the rules throughout the process and in no way induced any breach of contract by Jeremy Helan.

This is a story that has blown up over the past twenty-four hours, no doubt on the coat tails of the Chelsea ruling and allegations against United, and it was confirmed that the case had been reported to FIFA, with Stade Rennes stating:

"For us it was strange to have no discussion from City and now, in the week after the Fifa declaration on Chelsea, I would hope that it will be the same thing for Manchester City. Kakuta signed up for just a possibility of a full contract. For Hélan there was definitely one there, under the terms of the pre-contract agreement, because he had played for his country. Manchester United said it was not possible to negotiate with us but for City now this is dangerous."

From reading what is around today regarding the signing, aside from the morals or ethics involved, it does not appear that we are in breach of any regulations that are in place.

As for the practice in general, it isn't one that always sits easily given the manner in which many of the transfers (although legally) are completed, but it has proved a succesful practice for the past decade or so for many sides (both in the Premier League and beyond) and so it is natural I suppose that we are also seeking to reap some success.

The all-new City

Much has been written about the way in which Mark Hughes has overhauled the side over the past twelve months, with the deadline day sale of Richard Dunne a symbolic move given his links to the past.

Not only was Dunne the longest serving player, but he was clearly the most experienced City player with his 290 league starts.

His departure leaves only two current squad players with a hundred or more league starts to their name.

Even moreso, take the Academy-bred trio of Wright-Phillips, Ireland and Richards aside and there is not a whole lot of players who have much experience at the club - with the vast majority having less than a seasons worth of games to their name:

Player	Debut	League starts
Shay Given	2009	18
Joe Hart	2006	50
Micah Richards	2005	100
Pablo Zabaleta	2008	26
Nedum Onouha	2004	67
Joleon Lescott	2009	1
Kolo Toure	2009	3
Wayne Bridge	2009	19
Javier Garrido	2007	32
Vincent Kompany	2008	34
Shaun Wright-Phillips	1999	160
Nigel de Jong	2009	16
Stephen Ireland	2005	96
Gareth Barry	2009	3
Michael Johnson	2006	36
Martin Petrov	2007	38
Kelvin Etuhu	2007	4
Craig Bellamy	2009	9
Robinho	2008	32
Carlos Tevez	2009	2
Emmanuel Adebayor	2009	3
Valeri Bojinov	2007	3
Felipe Caiceido	2008	10
Benjani	2008	20
Jo	2008	6

Hughes has already stated that there will not be another transfer window like the one we have just witnessed, meaning that the core or nucleus of the side is now in place. New signings will of course be made, but these will not be in the same number and will serve to substantially improve on what is currently in place.

This current side is the one built for the future, and one that should have develop the sort of team unity and consistency that his a hallmark feature of teams which have been developed and become succesful.

Something that will bode well given our now raised ambitions.

Dunne deal will go through

We still await for official confirmation from either ourselves or Aston Villa with regards to the signing of Richard Dunne, with the Premier League yet to ratify the move (although the FA are believed to be satisfied all is in order).

The sticking point as far as we are led to believe was down to the potential pay off from the club that Dunne may be set to receive, but although there is still the possibility the deal will not be completed, I have been informed from a very reliable source the deal will be confirmed and Dunne will become an Aston Villa player.