Transfer Target Latest

I couldn't help chuckling to myself last night when Mrs Pedmachine was watching something called 'Born to Shine' on TV. The add-on to 'Britain's Got No Talent' featured Jason Manford.comedian and well know City fan singing 'Maria' aided by a teenager who allegedly taught him to sing.

Is it me or does Jason look like an overweight version of Samir Nasri?

Will the underweight version ever get himself up the M1/M6, following the red route to Manchester but ending up in the blue sector?

Wenger quite rightly played Nasri at the weekend and like Tevez when he came on, he put in a good day's work and was a shining light in a team that looks as if it is down a mine at present. Why they don't just start off with ten men is a mystery to me. At least when they encounter their weekly red card, playing with ten would become the norm for them.

Mancini for his part is clearly getting frustrated with the situation, where the Club and the player are 'ready to go' but as usual there is a greedy agent looking for the ridiculous sum in excess of £3m as his 'cut' in the deal.

So the deal could be on ice because of this. Now what type of agent handicaps a client's livelihood to overline his own pockets? We've seen similar in the long-running Tevez saga, but now we have someone else trying to milk the Blues.

Fair play to Gary Cook et al for not bending over. The team is in good shape, the Elite Development program looks good and we have cover all over the field.

It looks as though it must come to a head over the next 24 hours, because if Wenger puts him in his Champions League selection then he cup ties him for that competition and any suitors will then close the cheque book and sentence Nasri to another season of disappointment before he heads out on a free at the end of the season. This looks like bad business for the Gooners, but as they do not seem to want to improve their team you wonder what goes on in the North London minds. There is discontent in the seating at the Emirates.

Regular readers of my articles will know that I really would have liked to have seen Juan Mata lining up in a sky blue shirt this season and not for Celta de Vigo. Chelsea have now stolen a march on all-comers by bringing him to London for a medical today.

Some cynics in their comments told me that he is too like David Silva...and your problem is?

For many months now Silva has been the best player in the Premier League and other clubs are now wising up to the fact that a player who can find space where there is none and, now, get his name on the scoresheet from midfield is worth his weight in Silva. That is what Chelsea see in Mata, that is what the Pedmachine sees in Mata.

In the EDS we have a 16 year old called Denis Suarez, a David Silva in waiting. A player who can get open and play killer passes into the lines of fire is hard to find. We have two and with any luck by the ned of tomorrow will have another. I still would have liked Mata though.I was hoping he would be on Mancini's radar.

So Sneijder doesn't want to come to City does he not and Stretford is begging Nike to put up the loot to get him along Chester Road. If Wesley has been watching this season so far he must simply be afraid that hewon't get in the team if he rolls up at the Etihad whereas in green and goldland he wopuld be a weekly choice. However with his attendance record maybe he doesn't fancy that either? Who knows. I know we have Nigel de Jong in our midst but I have an in-built fear of Dutch being perennial under-achievers. We must remeber the total football teams of Cruyff and Neeskens who finished...second, the great team of last season who finished..second. The time when Barcelona had more players from Holland than Catalunya and finished ...second.

Yes there have been some great players who have come to England and done well..Bergkamp, van Noodle, van de Sar and even Gerard Wiekens (Winston Bogarde was perhaps an exception) but collectively they can't do it. Food for thought I think.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE DRAW:

Th 25 Aug 16:45 GMT+1, Monaco

UPCOMING FIXTURES:
all times GMT+1

Su 28 Aug 13:30 Spurs, White Hart Lane, PL

Sa 10 Sep 15:00 Wigan, The Etihad, PL

13-14 September Champions League G Stage 1

Sa 17 Sep 15:00 Fulham, Craven Cottage, PL

Sa 24 Sep 12:45 Everton, The Etihad, PL

27-28 September Champions League G Stage 2

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