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| Manchester City face transfer trauma in wake of Touré and FFP sagas | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Manchester City’s silly summer season is officially open for business. As if Manuel Pellegrini did not already have the headache of City’s punishment for failing to adhere to Uefa’s financial fair play strictures to contend with, now the manager must deal with the saga of one of his biggest stars, Yaya Touré, throwing his future at the club into doubt in a series of misguided tweets. | Manchester City’s silly summer season is officially open for business. As if Manuel Pellegrini did not already have the headache of City’s punishment for failing to adhere to Uefa’s financial fair play strictures to contend with, now the manager must deal with the saga of one of his biggest stars, Yaya Touré, throwing his future at the club into doubt in a series of misguided tweets. |
| The Ivorian signed fresh four-year terms last April, so City believe they can hold firm and that the 31-year-old is going nowhere. Yet after a season of calm – and triumph – due to Pellegrini’s understated leadership, the danger is that this could crumble as City return to the full-time fire-fighting mode last seen when Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli and Roberto Mancini were at the club. | The Ivorian signed fresh four-year terms last April, so City believe they can hold firm and that the 31-year-old is going nowhere. Yet after a season of calm – and triumph – due to Pellegrini’s understated leadership, the danger is that this could crumble as City return to the full-time fire-fighting mode last seen when Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli and Roberto Mancini were at the club. |
| Touré may prove only a minor distraction. But he adds a further complication to the big issue for Pellegrini of FFP. If the end game for Touré is a rise on his generous £220,000-a-week terms, the Chilean could do without this as he grapples with the complex chess-game of how best to escape sanctions that threaten to strangle City’s hopes of retaining the Premier League while winning the Champions League next year. | Touré may prove only a minor distraction. But he adds a further complication to the big issue for Pellegrini of FFP. If the end game for Touré is a rise on his generous £220,000-a-week terms, the Chilean could do without this as he grapples with the complex chess-game of how best to escape sanctions that threaten to strangle City’s hopes of retaining the Premier League while winning the Champions League next year. |
| For the world’s richest club to have potentially to call on John Guidetti, Marcos Lopes and Karim Rekik to add ballast to the Champions League quest illustrates the state City are in. Yet turning to three fringe players who have one league appearance between them is a scenario Pellegrini now considers. | For the world’s richest club to have potentially to call on John Guidetti, Marcos Lopes and Karim Rekik to add ballast to the Champions League quest illustrates the state City are in. Yet turning to three fringe players who have one league appearance between them is a scenario Pellegrini now considers. |
| As the manager delivered the title, confirmation came that Uefa’s punishment will limit him to a €60m (£49m) net transfer spend and 21 players in his Champions League squad, while City have a €60m fine, of which €40m could be returned if certain conditions are kept. The reduction from 25 to 21 is where Guidetti, Lopes and Rekik come in. | As the manager delivered the title, confirmation came that Uefa’s punishment will limit him to a €60m (£49m) net transfer spend and 21 players in his Champions League squad, while City have a €60m fine, of which €40m could be returned if certain conditions are kept. The reduction from 25 to 21 is where Guidetti, Lopes and Rekik come in. |
| In a Champions League squad, eight would normally have to be homegrown: divided into four who are “home trained” – at City – and four “association trained” – at another domestic club. But City are working on the basis that, with a reduced squad, only five need be in that category. Uefa has not confirmed this. | In a Champions League squad, eight would normally have to be homegrown: divided into four who are “home trained” – at City – and four “association trained” – at another domestic club. But City are working on the basis that, with a reduced squad, only five need be in that category. Uefa has not confirmed this. |
| Last season City named only a 23-man squad, of which Micah Richards, Gaël Clichy, Joe Hart, James Milner, Joleon Lescott, Dedryck Boyata and Jack Rodwell filled the homegrown criteria. Of these only Richards is home trained. As Lescott has left and Richards, Rodwell and Milner could follow suit, this would leave only three homegrown players, none of whom is home trained. Guidetti, Lopes and Rekik fall into both categories. | |
| Pellegrini, the epitome of the mild-mannered gent, would never say so publicly but he could be forgiven for wondering privately how City have managed to create such a mess. For Sheikh Mansour’s £1bn-plus investment Pellegrini might have expected better from the executives hired to guarantee such a calamity did not occur. The attempt at smart accounting to ensure FFP was respected proved a failure and Pellegrini is left counting the cost. | Pellegrini, the epitome of the mild-mannered gent, would never say so publicly but he could be forgiven for wondering privately how City have managed to create such a mess. For Sheikh Mansour’s £1bn-plus investment Pellegrini might have expected better from the executives hired to guarantee such a calamity did not occur. The attempt at smart accounting to ensure FFP was respected proved a failure and Pellegrini is left counting the cost. |
| City are relaxed about the measures, pointing to a squad that hardly requires major surgery and which claimed the Premier League despite key performers – including Sergio Agüero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva – suffering injuries. | City are relaxed about the measures, pointing to a squad that hardly requires major surgery and which claimed the Premier League despite key performers – including Sergio Agüero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva – suffering injuries. |
| While this is a fair point – Agüero started only 20 league games – there is an acceptance at the Etihad Stadium that the situation is hardly ideal and relief that it should, it is hoped, be a one-off. | While this is a fair point – Agüero started only 20 league games – there is an acceptance at the Etihad Stadium that the situation is hardly ideal and relief that it should, it is hoped, be a one-off. |
| The other part of the equation is whom to cull from the 13 to 16 berths allowed for City’s “foreign” contingent, depending on Uefa’s final homegrown ruling. One of his prime targets is Porto’s Eliaquim Mangala, wanted as a central defender who can handle continental opponents in a way Martín Demichelis cannot. The France international is valued at £35m. Yet armed with details of City’s FFP punishment, Porto may drive the price up, knowing the club has “only” a £49m net fund. | The other part of the equation is whom to cull from the 13 to 16 berths allowed for City’s “foreign” contingent, depending on Uefa’s final homegrown ruling. One of his prime targets is Porto’s Eliaquim Mangala, wanted as a central defender who can handle continental opponents in a way Martín Demichelis cannot. The France international is valued at £35m. Yet armed with details of City’s FFP punishment, Porto may drive the price up, knowing the club has “only” a £49m net fund. |
| If City can buy Mangala for £35m and take his team-mate Fernando for £20m, the £6m shortfall required to keep within the budget can be done by selling players – Javi García is one candidate – and wages recouped by those taken off the books. Gareth Barry, who earned around £120,000 a week, and Lescott (£90,000) have already left. | |
| If Pellegrini signs Bacary Sagna to join Mangala and Fernando, that would make three more overseas players to squeeze into the foreign quota. Álvaro Negredo, García, Matija Nastasic, Demichelis and Costel Pantilimon would all then be under threat. | |
| A year ago Manchester United suffered their own transfer market farrago as David Moyes dithered and prime targets escaped. City will not want to become this summer’s soap opera. The Premier League and League Cup double delivered by Pellegrini must be built on. | A year ago Manchester United suffered their own transfer market farrago as David Moyes dithered and prime targets escaped. City will not want to become this summer’s soap opera. The Premier League and League Cup double delivered by Pellegrini must be built on. |