Manchester City News 24/7Writer: Johnny Baguette 
Date:Monday August 4 2008
Time: 2:03PM
UK time is: 02:39:35
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City Move For Chrétien Revived
As reported in France Football last week, City have upped their bid for AS Nancy's right back Michaël Chrétien...
Last Tuesday's FF revealed that Chrétien, wanted by both FC Sevilla and Real Betis, was back on City's radar after talks involving Chrétien, his agent and Nancy's General Manager in Sevilla stalled only a few days before.
Nancy confirmed that not long after the player returned to France, a fax came in from Eastlands inquiring if the talented 24 year old Moroccan was still on the market.
Chrétien has played for Nancy for all of his career to date and has been a regular 30+ games a season man for the past five years. In total, he has made 218 appearances for the club with 10 goals to his name. Reknowned for his stamina, he is widely recognised as one of the best right backs in Ligue One.
The rumoured fee is said to be around £3-4 million.
Morroccan International Chrétien has only ever played for his local club, having been linked with Nancy since the age of five! However, it was not until February 2004 that he signed his first professional contract with the club, despite making his league debut in November 2002. When he plays for Nancy he used his mother's maiden name Chrétien, but when representing Morocco, he uses his father's surname Basser.
Chrétien would certainly be a welcome addition to the City squad and surely a wiser acquisition than the nonsense currently doing the rounds that links City with strikers such as Dean Ashton and Djibril Cisse. A big no thanks where those two are concerned!
However, many Blues would like to see the left back position reinforced strongly before August is out.
Chrétien scored in Nancy's 3-0 friendly win over Le Mans at the weekend.
What's your verdict on Bluesy's next target? Seen any good left back's knocking about? Drop us a line at the Vital MC Forums!
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Your Comments
Do we really need another RB when we have Charlie, Micah, Nedum and Shaleum for that position.
alphieblues
Indeed, alphie. Bluesy must be on to something.
Johnny Baguette
I think the emphasis on what they call wing backs today is speed, Charlie for me is a good footballer, but I do worry that his pace is suspect and is often beaten for speed. I do think thet Charlie could play either CB or holding midfield, and probably that is why Bluesy is looking at a speedier RB.
Buzz Lightyear
It's funny that Bilic rates Charlie as one of the best RB's in the world. His attacking play is not bad either.
alphieblues
If we do sign Chretien, then alongside Jo and Ben Haim the squad already has more depth, but the left side has to be sorted out.
Johnny Baguette
Back News about Djibril Cisse, From now I will tell you that prices of the hair dye will be Rise!
city 81
City 81, you do have a humour that all City fans have. lol.
Buzz Lightyear
An alarming report this morning about Charlie going to Spurs for £7m and I thought we no longer a selling club?
Buzz Lightyear
There you go, then. There had to be something behind this Chretien move. I would be very, very disappointed to lose Corluka. One thing I would say about Chretien is he has no prem experience and little international knowledge. Replacing Corluka with him would be a big gamble. Always somebody who goes you wouldn't liek to when a new gaffer comes in. It was Weaver last time aroound if memory serves. Spurs are building some side.
Johnny Baguette
I agree JB, they have been buying players for fun, but they will have the same problem as what we had last season with most of their players being new to the premier. The thing that puzzles me about this move is that they have a n excellent right back already and have a solid CB formation, so do we read this as going nowhere.
Buzz Lightyear
However if they included in the deal Berbatov and Alan Hutton, we may consider it. And before you Spurs fans start ranting and raving about that, its only a joke, not meant ot o be serious,if I was being serious I would have added Woodgate to the deal as well.
Buzz Lightyear
LOL! seriously, though, Corluka is a class act and I wouldn't like to see City intergrate him as well as they have done only for him to be off to Laandaarn.
Johnny Baguette
Das Daily Mail say it's a done deal. 7 million. That's laughable if true.
Johnny Baguette
too many papers saying the same things, are Spurs churning the water unfairly. One thing a this late stage is, if he does go then we should get a replacement first, not the other way round. I thought we only paid £2m for him, but one paper says we paid £8m for him.
Buzz Lightyear
Just checked it was 8 million, therefore £7m figure is not enough by any stretch of the imagination unless!!!!! we are in big financial problems and cant pay our bills.
Buzz Lightyear
Glad I don't read the tabloids and therefore don't suffer from sleepless nights !!!
alphieblues
Buzz :) , I've learned from Man City Fans, and about Corluka I Likely the deal will be "swap" with Lennon With the payment of the difference.
city 81
Makes you wonder where all the money lined up for Goofy has gone...
Johnny Baguette
Danny Mills number 18!! The full squad list for the 2008/09 season is:
1. Joe HART (GK)
2. Micah RICHARDS
3. Michael BALL
4. Nedum ONUOHA
5. Vedran CORLUKA
6. Michael JOHNSON
7. Stephen IRELAND
8.
9. Valeri BOJINOV
10. Rolando BIANCHI
11. ELANO Blumer
12. Darius VASSELL
13. Richard MARTIN (GK)
14. Joao Alves de Assis Silva (JO)
15. Javier GARRIDO (J.GARRIDO)
16. Kasper SCHMEICHEL (GK)
17. Martin PETROV
18. Danny MILLS
19. Gelson FERNANDES
20. Felipe CAICEDO
21. Dietmar HAMANN
22. Richard DUNNE
23. RETIRED
24. Ched EVANS
25. Nery CASTILLO
26. BEN HAIM Tal
27. BENJANI Mwaruwari
28. Daniel STURRIDGE
29. Kelvin ETUHU
30. Shaleum LOGAN
31. Adam CLAYTON
32. Javan VIDAL
33.
34. Sam WILLIAMSON
35. Scott KAY
36.
37.
38.
39.
40. Vladimir WEISS
41. Ben MEE
42. Karl MOORE
43. Clayton MCDONALD
44. Curtis OBENG
45. Gregory HARTLEY (GK)
46. Paul MARSHALL
47. James POOLE
48. Chris RAMSEY
49. Donal MCDERMOTT
50.
51. Ryan MCGIVERN
52. Filip MENTEL
53. Matthew BROWN
54. David BALL
55. Ian DALY
56. Angelos TSIAKLIS
57. Ben MORRIS
Johnny Baguette
Hughes said about Corluka 'he had an exceptional European Championships. I can’t elaborate any more because I don’t know a great deal about it. The news surprised me this morning.”
This is worrying and looks on paper that if true, then players are being sold without his knowledge.
Not normally a gloom and doom merchant how can a manger run a team if he does not know who he has from day to day.
JB, there was no money for Goofy, it was a PR stunt to keep the fans mind off Sven sacking.
Buzz Lightyear
JB, The Funds could have gone to pay arrears taxes of his wife!
city 81
Dont believe the Corluka article for one minute. He's had a good first season for us, and a decent Eurpoean Championships, so why would we sell him the same price we paid? Hughes waxes lyrical about players that have the versatility to play in several positions, and Corluka falls into that category. Why would he leave City or Spurs anyway? We are both in Europe (admittedly via different routes) and both have ambitions to break into the top 4.
oliverblue
We are not short of funds as it is a well known fact that TS has more than £1bn in assets outside of Thailand. As for the Charlie rumours another case of Agents stirring it for their own ends. The new squad numbers are very interesting I wonder who Sparky has pencilled in for the Number 8 shirt ???
alphieblues
Roque Santa Cruz likes the number 8 i heard Alphie ;-)
oliverblue
OK but why have we not immediately denied this story, instead of letting it fester and grow?
Buzz Lightyear
Chretien has now signed a 4 yr contract to stay at Nancy, it seems that he only wanted to go to Spain and when the talk with real Betis broke down, even though we offered more he still didn't want to know. Now we need to keep our best players and win something this season then players may sign for us. I just think if we still had Sven we may have attracted some good players. Another rejection for City. Corluka must stay!!!
Buzz Lightyear
alphieblues, How do you forgot!!, The No. (8) was shirt of Joy Barton, Not one will wears honor for him, Like what West Ham did with Bobby Moore .
http://www.setanta.com/en/Sport/News/Football/2008/08/04/Prem-West-Ham-retire-No-6-shirt/?facets/sport-space/football/great-britain-locale/
city 81
Buzz If the Club spent their time denying stories they would never have time to run the business properly. I always say no news is good news.
alphieblues
You have reason alph as they say in France. Somebody at Das Daily Mail has strong links at City, but looks to me as if someone at spuds has been stirring it. Chretien is a cracking player, but the more I consider it, why risk someone with zero Prem experience, nevermind zero other club experience?? Time to repeat the transfer mantra again: Left Back, Midfield General, Right Wing, Third Keeper! If we just bring in a left back I'll settle for what we have.
By the way, Bojinov taking the number 9 shirt is very positive...
Johnny Baguette
Extremely positive. for a no. 9. City 81 Colin Bell famous City no.8 shamed by Barton on more than one occasion. Even in these days of sneezing you get a yellow, I cannot think of any occasion where Colin Bell would have even got a yellow. Agree JB we have to look for those postions that all city fans know where we are weak, but not even a flat denial has come from City. No smoke without fire, will be sad to lose him.
Buzz Lightyear
I think you're right re Hughes. Agents feed stories to the hacks all the time and there may very well be something in this. Spuds could be looking to keep their other Croat happy. But taking on a player already integrated in the PL and doing a classy job for a few million would be taking the *****.
Johnny Baguette
It's on lads. City and Spurs in advanced talks according to MUEN.
Johnny Baguette
The only way I could see it coming off is a straight swop for Berbatov or plus £5m !!!
alphieblues
If as you say its not about money, then why sell him. If they do that Richards moves to RB and Ben Haim takes the CB role. A bit worried that we don't seem to have moved towards improving the squad and we were in relegation at the end of last season. permission to panic!!!
Buzz Lightyear
Furious reaction from Blues across the www. If this goes through, there is clearly not the finance available to take the squad forward with strength in depth. Small squads threatened by injury and suspension budget tightrope policies do not win trophies.
Johnny Baguette
Is this another case of an ILLEGAL approach as MH appears to know nothing about it.
alphieblues
I can see MH giving up the job, he will not be short of offers, if this does go through we are a laughing stock again. It is just like when we sold Gary Owen and Peter barnes and got Barry Silkman. No disrespect to Ben Haim, but if I had the choice its a no brainer. We must be very short of money.
Buzz Lightyear
very intresting player for us IF this goes through....although we have a solid rightback in the shape of allan hutton, spurs are trying to build a talented squad, not just the 11 on the pitch...strenght in depth is vital if teams like spurs and city are ever to challenge the big boys. so i would welcome corluka with open arms, but be very surprised if city sold him...if he is sold you have to ask why?....are the finances of shinawatra as good as you think?....i read somewhere that you only paid a fraction of the 19mil up front for jo with the rest on H.P type installments,
lillywhites101
If Corluka go, This does not surprise me becouse we have agood another RB ( Onuoha ) who will fill the vacuum, and about Not buying new players becouse who know Hughes, knows that he is not of kind of the coach who like to contract with alot of new players.
city 81
Christ on a bike. The last thing we need now is to be shifting into another divisive period of instability which will get to the management, the fans and in turn, the players. Any takers on Svengate being down to a lack of promised transfer funds?
Johnny Baguette
Sven wasn't given an opportunity to suceed at City and when Frank realised Sven knew his little game, sacked him. The question is, I wonder how many folk close to the club actually know what Dr T is up to. and what his masterplan actually is? Becuase the fans certainly don't!!
Tudor
you lot have been taken for a ride.....shinawatra hasnt a penny and all your players where bought on finance....it was lunacy to sell to him guys....an on the run former thai PM accused of corruption??? i know city needed quick investment at the time, but to sell to shinawatra was madness
lillywhites101
Oh be quiet lillypampers!!
Tudor
the truth hurts tudor
lillywhites101
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