When the Abu Dhabi Group took over Manchester City and bought Robinho at the beginning of the season it seemed that English football had gone crazy. Manchester United and Chelsea fans all around the world screamed from the rooftops about how money doesn’t buy success.
All the while, Alex Ferguson secured the services of yet another £30m player in Dimitar Berbatov, and Chelsea added the services of Deco and Scolari to a multi-million pound squad that missed out on domestic and European success by the skin of its teeth.
The irony of it all was a sight to behold.
Money alone doesn’t buy success, that much is true, but without it these days you haven’t got a hope in hell. Which is why I believe acquiring the other components for success are really the easiest part of Manchester City’s plan for world domination.
As this year’s season began though, the buzz of Manchester City’s new found wealth seemed to wear off as it became painfully obvious that they were just the same old unpredictable Manchester City.
I personally didn’t expect anything less.
Robinho is an amazing player, he has proven that already, but Diego Maradona he isn’t. Dragging Manchester City to the Premiership title on his own in the manner of Maradona at Napoli just isn’t going to happen I’m afraid.
So as the January transfer window looms the brooding menace of Manchester City’s ambitions casts a dark cloud over the Premiership once again. The stories of City’s possible transfer targets are starting to hot up.
Terry, Buffon, Kaka, Ronaldo, Fabregas, and Torres have all been mentioned. It’s been reported that Mark Hughes has been instructed to draw up a list of the world’s top players in every position and that these players will be the transfer targets in January.
The problem with all this though is that, although I do see Manchester City having a good chance of crashing the "Big Four" party eventually, there just seems to be a little bit of naive optimism in drawing up a list like this.
The Abu Dhabi group’s aspirations are reminiscent of the American who tried to buy the magnificent Tower Bridge in London and ended up taking home the rather less impressive London Bridge. Some things simply aren’t for sale.
Robinho was very much a one-off in that respect. His utter horror at being used as bait to lure Cristiano Ronaldo to the Bernabeu during the transfer tug-of-war between Manchester United and Real Madrid saw him well and truly throw his toys out of the pram and offer his services to the highest bidder seemingly regardless of the short-term career prospects.
While Robinho’s arrival can only increase the allure that Manchester City has to the world's best players, you have to wonder how many of them would gamble their immediate future the way Robinho has.
Not many in my opinion.
The world’s best players obviously want as much money as possible—who doesn’t?—but just as important as that is the platform to acquire a place in the list of all time greats. Which is something that Manchester City, despite all their money, can’t currently provide.
So unlike Chelsea, who had the lure of top-level football at the beginning of their take-over a stumbling block has arisen for City’s management and owners. Which will come first, the chicken or the egg?
Will top quality players bring top-level football to Eastlands? Or will top-level football bring top-quality players? To say the January transfer window is going to be interesting would be a massive understatement. There is no doubt that Manchester City will recruit players, but whom?
Of all the transfer targets the most interesting is Gianluigi Buffon. Defence must be a priority for City, having leaked so many goals recently, and who better to bring in than somebody widely regarded as the world’s best goalkeeper.
With Juventus having recently proven they can manage without him and also looking to finance their new 40,000-seater stadium, he could be a realistic target.
Kaka is one I can’t see though. Players like him, Torres, Gerrard, Ronaldo, Messi, and Terry are the players I see as simply not for sale. Clubs cling to these players for dear life their success on the pitch relies on them.
The money they make for the club in merchandising along with the exposure they bring, dwarfs any transfer fee that we normally see in football.
My opinion though is just that, an opinion. The reality is that the power of money in football will be tested to its limit in January.
The slightest chink in a club’s armor will be exploited to the fullest and with the world’s finances in total disarray there could be a few more chinks than anybody has yet realized.
Should they manage to bring in players of equal quality to Robinho, Richards, Elano, and Petrov who can relegate some of their current first team talent to squad players, then they will be well on their way to creating a squad that can challenge for a place in the Champions league.
The more realistic, and probably wiser, option though is to target the next generation of worldclass players. There are countless ambitious players around world waiting for an ambitious club like Manchester City and every year a new generation emerges.
In addition to the young stars of the future world football is full of players capable of being the next big thing now. Sergio Aguero, Klaus-Jan Huntelaar, and Roque Santa-Cruz are just three of the many quality players that the world’s richest clubs didn’t have room for in the summer.
So whether Manchester City can attract top players from big clubs in the January transfer market, or if they have to wait a little bit longer to assemble a team of worldclass players that the world hasn’t yet heard of, it’s just matter of time before they are competing for trophies.
Having the money to be able to rip it up and start again means that Manchester City simply can’t fail.
It’s less a case of can they win trophies, and more a case of when. If the short history of the Premiership tells us anything, it’s that money does buy trophies.
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about 1 month ago
Perfectly concluded.."It’s less a case of can they win trophies, and more a case of when. If the short history of the Premiership tells us anything, it’s that money does buy trophies."
from about 1 month ago
Cheers Salaar.
about 1 month ago
I'm not too sure that I agree with you about the money buying trophies. And it's easy to point at Chelsea and say Abrahmovich bought the league.
But there are a million things that need to line up before you can win something.
Money makes it easier to line them up, but it doesn't always win you trophies.
Saying that, the four richest teams in the league have finished in the top 4 positions in the league for the last number of years. And they've got the best players, managers, stadiums, squads.
Money isn't a guarantee of success, and it will be interesting to see how long this Man City experiment runs for.
Good article as always Anthony.
from about 1 month ago
I think you need more than Money but having the luxury of 10 x abromovich's spending power means if Hughes doesn't do the business they can just keeping on replacing the manager until someone does. The same goes for Everyone else employed by the club. i don't see them getting the instant success of Chelsea but with a little patience sooner it'll be hard for them not to hit the right formula. Cheers for commenting Willie!
about 1 month ago
Honestly, I don't care if they sign anyone. I grow tired of reading about how ManCity is "linked" with another world-class player. Well no crap! With that kind of money, the ADG imagines they can just run through and buy anyone they want, as though it were a grocery market.
I think it would have to take one more season for anyone to start flocking to the blue half of Manchester. I bet that Buffon and Terry and the likes are just watching Robinho and seeing if they'll get to call him a sucker, or a visionary.
from about 1 month ago
Pretty spot-on assesment Brandon.Cheers
about 1 month ago
Good article. However, disagree about top players not moving. The bottom line is players are like us in a lot of respects. If a new job in the same field you are in now comes on the market offering you double the wages, you'd be lying if you said you wouldn't accept it just for the money. The same is true in football - just ask the many, like Ashley Cole.
from about 1 month ago
Ashley Cole did move to a team playing in europe and winning trophies though. If City get in the champion League which I can see them doing sooner or later players will come. Why would you go anywhere else if you can win the same things and get paid twice as much? but until then I think they'll struggle to attract certain players. Cheers for commenting Derry.
about 1 month ago
Media hype, i imagine. It has to mostly be that because if true City will be spending excess of £200 million in January which whilst they can is'nt gonna happen. The trouble with it all is people believe it because its in the papers and it lessens peoples opinion of City like our learned friend Brandon.
from about 1 month ago
It might be hype but its understandably really "Cristiano Ronaldo says he wants to play for the biggest club in the world, we'll find out if he means it in January" When the owner is coming out with stuff like that you can't blame the media for the hype surrounding the money City are gonna spend! Cheers for the comment mate.
about 1 month ago
Chelsea have spent £400 million on players and still can't win the Champions League!
In fact, for an outlay of that immense amount of cash they haven't really won a lot at all. I'd want a better return on my cash than that.
Ranieri proved that if your manager is not top class, it doesn't matter how much cash you have, you wont win.
Jose Moaninho is one of the best in the world I think, but he was only able to win 2 Premier titles and nothing in Europe with them.
Scolari is one of the best in the world so we'll wait and see how he does.
Anthony said they can hire a manager and if he is no good replace him and cary on until they find the right one. Which manager is going to sign for them with that kind of crap hanging over his head.
It's good to have £Billions£ but not easy to win everything!
from about 1 month ago
Carly. Mourinho was able to win 2 titles, 1 fa cup, 2 league cups in three years thats nothing to be sniffed at really is it. Its more than Fergie won in those three years and I doubt they are finished yet considering they were a penalty kick from the champions league last season. Blackburn bought the league. Manchester United even with the greatest manager in history need to spend,spend,spend to keep the pace at the top. As for getting a good return for the cash. If that was an issue i doubt the ADUG would've even bought a football club in the first place. And as for what kind of manager would sign with that hanging over his head? thats an easy one. The type of manager who likes getting paid twice as much as he normally would. I'm quite looking forward to them challenging on an even footing. It'll make beating them all the more sweeter! but a champions league place is definately on the cards for them sooner or later.
from about 1 month ago
Since Abramovitch arrived 5 and a half
years ago they have won 2 titles, 1 FA
Cup and 2 League Cups, which I don't
think is too good for £400 million.
But despite all that cash and 5 and a half
years waiting, no Euro glory. They might
well have been one penalty kick from
winning it but they came second, and
second place is the first loser. If you go
out in the knockout stages or the final it
boils down to the same thing, they haven't
won it.
If Manchester City aspire to win as much as
Liverpool, Chelsea and United do, they better
get ready for a rather long wait and a lot of
frustration as it will take them the same time
or more.
from about 1 month ago
The abu dhabi group controls assets of 620 billion euros. 400m is something they lose behind the couch. I doubt they even have a concept of what value for money is! A top four finish and maybe a cup or two would propel them towards being a big club in Europe and both these targets are easily achievable. Don't deny the inevitable Carly embrace the challenge. I saw Fergie talking about it today on MUTV and thats what he was doing.
about 1 month ago
Good article Anthony as usual :-)
Interesting - I think that City can challenge for cups but will only attract the real quality players if and when they qualify for the Champions League, when they do this they can then challenge for the League. I think you summed up the Robinho situation well.
from about 1 month ago
Cheers Maire. I'm glad we agree. It's gonna be interesting in January.
about 1 month ago
Its going to be a wild January. City MUST focus on bringing in strong defenders. They need one more striker and another holding midfielder. They get those players, they will be a force to be reckoned with. They aren't too far away to make a run. I think City has had their slump and they've captured their dangerous form that saw them win 6-0 against Pompey.
If they can keep playing well in the UEFA Cup, they will be able to attract players. They are already through to the knockout phase and Mark Hughes is showing his class as a manager. It takes time to build, he knows that. The ADUG are very smart businessmen. They bought City because they wanted the challenge of building a top club. They are on their way now.
from about 1 month ago
Cheers for the pick Peter. Defence has to be the priority it might stop them being the biggest scitzophrenics in football.
about 1 month ago
I don't think you can include Roque Santa Cruz as a prospect more of a short term fix. Kaka hasn't actually been turning City down and Buffons agent has been very upfront in saying if City wait until the summer they can save themselves £15m, so there are plenty of positive signs coming through. Robinho has also been acquiting himself pretty well in interviews and realises Champions League football wont come over night. Add to that Mark Hughes clearly knows what he wants and wont pander to any player in the way he goes about it. Chelsea have spent something closer to £650m in buidling their team, a mere £50m less than Uniteds debt. Now if I was a United fan that would be giving me more worries than when City will overtake them (which they will).
from about 1 month ago
Santa Cruz is an underated player in my opinion. He plays for Paraguay who are currently top of world cup qualification in South America and he's been scoring. With better service he could be a top player. As for overtaking United not in my lifetime mate. How many trophies would you have to win? Cheers for the comment mate.
about 1 month ago
Ha ha , its a sign , theres even a dark cloud on your picture over the council house .
Now , while City DO have the power to attract the best in the world , they DONT have the ability to work wonders , you have to build a football team , not buy one . Like SAF has done for us , we have all seen time and again that some players just dont Gel together on the field fast enough .
Kaka , Messi , Ronny , Terry and Torres might be massive for their current clubs , but what if they werent to Gel within 4 or 5 games , that could be 18 points lost through fielding a team that are unfamiliar with each other , you need to build around the team you have already .
Money is important in football today , Man U have spent 100 million on Ferdinand , Wazza , Berba and Ronaldo as it is , but we built our successful team 10 years ago + , and we still have three parts of that still here in Nev , Scholesy and Giggsy .
City , I cant se Kaka going to Eastlands at all , I see him in a darker shade of Blue at Chelsea , they wil Get Buffon , they WONT get Ronaldo in a million years , Messi .........No Chance . Terry is Chelsea through and through , why would he leave the club he took as his own , hes captain and on 140 K + a week .......again , nah .
I bet they end up with the likes of Podolski , Schweinsteiger , Benzema and even Ronaldinho is more possible than the others .
Great read though , we think the same , bein Red n all !!
from about 1 month ago
I like that picture. It shows them for what they are. The dark side! haha.
I can seeing getting in the champions league but overtaking United success-wise I just can't see it. Cheers for the comment Mark.
from about 1 month ago
Oh they will definatly get in the champions League in the next 2 years , Im not denying they will make it , and im not saying that their players wont Gel when they buy them , im just pointing out that its happened before and may well happen again , no matter how much dosh is involved , Carlyluvsunited has a good point , Chelsea spent 400 million on the team and it cost Roman a fair bit for the club and Development , 2 League titles , 1 FA cup and 1 Carling cup doesnt really account for that amount of money , but we will see wat happens . it gets my POTD as well by the way mate .
about 1 month ago
The Americans, Russians and Arabs have made a fatal mistake.
Euro players are more overpriced than French food.
They have entered a business they know nothing about hoping that locals in Europe will orient them properly. Big mistake. All that`s happened is mega inflation and quite ordinary players being sold for millions.
Why pay 500 dollars for lunch when a 3 dollar Big Mac tastes better and fulls you more?
How long will it take for them to realise that they have to pay independent scouts to travel the world and buy up cheap talent. ManU is doing the right thing with Stam visiting Brazil hungry for talent recently. But how well can he really do? He doesn`t speak Portuguese, doesn`t know where to look, so the Brazilians just spin him around like a bobo and stick some Anderson like trash on him claiming it`s the new Ronaldinho.
LDU is the proof that salaries of between 5-20K can get you a major trophy like Libertadores and snatch you at least second best club in the world honors.
When the rich clubs get smart they will realise that they need scouts based in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and the African continents many talented countries.
about 1 month ago
By the way. I`ve adopted Man City as my official EPL and Euro team.
I`m a fan. I feel like I`m witnessing the birth of a major club. Their first big Brazilian star Robby plus the bald guy up front Ireland are great. Shaun Wright Phillips is Brazilian league material with lots of skill and pace. Elano has raised his game inspired by his old teammate Robby. They are considered underdogs. The love the whole spirit of the thing.
I`ll stick with this win or lose today against Cristiano Flamer and company.
from about 1 month ago
Ha. Glad to hear city have got a new fan. Good luck today.You'll need it. As for the Brazilian players S. There is currently 15 in the EPL the only reason there isn't more is because of Visa problems. Players currently have to play 75% of their countries international games before they can get a work Visa for England. Got to say I hope they keep it this way. The English football player is already struggling! If they changed the rules the european leagues would no doubt be flooded. Cheers for commenting S.
from about 1 month ago
The number I have is 22 but they count Deco as Brazilian here. Probably some other naturalised dudes in there as well.
That 75% international caps thing leads to some corruption believe it or not. The president of the C.B.F forces Dunga to pick certain players due to this agenda then cashes in on transfer kickbacks afterwards. The men with the suits make more than the men in shorts sometimes.
I think from an English football point of view you are absolutely right. There should be even more restrictions. My previous comments were not based on this angle.
My pleasure to comment on your fine article. I`ve even overstepped my usual Brazilian perspective role and gave some of MY opinions which are not necessarily what most people think in Brazil.
Also I would like to say that I was the first to report on City`s aim to go big time Brazilian. There`s an old article about their interest in Ronaldo (the real one) and Thiago Neves. I also wrote an article about their interest in Zico before switching to Hughes. (someone saw it fit to take this article completely off the BR radar by the way). All of this even before the Arab buyout.
I`ve seen many articles around BR about Hughes this and that but it must be stated that with so many Brazilian players and more to come City may also opt for a Brazilian coach next season.
So apart from the underdog appeal of this team ...how could I not like all the Brazilian influence going on.
about 1 month ago
You continue to write my favorite articles to read on here, Anthony, and this is no exception. I think you summed up the important arguement quite well; are City going to have to prove that they warrant incredible players before they can use the money they actually have?
I don't see players the likes of Torres, Kaka, Terry, etc leaving to go to City. But I do see players like Sergio Aguero, perhaps, who would look positively on a move there. As soon as City were bought over the summer and Robinho brought in, I wasn't expecting miracles right away from them. I did think, however, that depending on how well Robinho and Wright-Phillips were playing was going to be an indicator of who would be interested in joining in January. As we've seen, Robinho has been justifying much of the hype around his ability, but he isn't a one-man title-winner.
If things continue through the rest of the festive season, I definitely see some big names heading to City. But I fully agree; they won't be Cristiano Ronaldo, John Terry, or Lionel Messi.
from about 1 month ago
Cheers for the pick Ryan. Its gonna be interesting to see how they go on. After yesterday's performance I think its obvious they need a bit more quality.
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