From The Rags To Riches And Other Stories

At the end of a very long day, the City hierarchy must be looking back on this summer's intriguing transfer window with an air of satisfaction...

Okay not all of the required outgoings came off, but a whopping 27 players will be plying their trade elsewhere this season which certainly didn't look like being the case a fortnight ago. Yet...whither now Wayne Bridge and Nedum Onuoha?

This transfer window underlined who is the boss at MCFC and it's clearly Roberto Mancini who has been more than content to let serial bridge burners Kia Joorabchian and Carlos Tevez drip dry in public to the point where families have had to be displaced and the first utterances of a humiliating climbdown have been registered.

Meanwhile, off message dissenters like Emmanuel Adebayor and Craig Bellamy have been jettisoned again, the latter permanently, and the sale of City legend Shaun Wright-Phillips signalled the intent to forge a young squad in Mancio's name, something even Shaunie seems to have accepted.

Owen Hargreaves remains the surprise package amidst all the stand offs and brinksmanship that typified the edgy pre financial rules era. If Mancio, who has expertly brought numerous City players gradually back from injury to full power (unlike Mark 'Cortisone' Hughes) can get something out of Hargreaves then the confused hacks who today still don't know what to make of the signing will call it as a masterstroke. Of course, Hargreaves himself has stated that there is a long way to go, but he has already won many admirers across English football by not employing a meddling agent for starters.

The mouthwatering signings of Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero have been the icing on the sky blue cake for Planet Blue as they confirmed that The Citizens now have two top quality players foir each position.

Now then.

Almost time for the Carrington boot room to reveal those Premier and Champions League squads...VMC will bring you the names and numbers as soon as we have them.


THE STORY OF CITY'S SUMMER:

OUT's:

Jerome Boateng(£12,360,000)
Javier Garrido (free)
Shay Given(£3,500,000)
David Gonzalez (loan)
Jo (undisc)
Scott Kay (free)
Shaleum Logan (free)
Ben Mee (loan)
James Poole (free)
Kieran Trippier (loan)
Andrew Tutte (free)
Javan Vidal (free)
Patrick Vieira (retired)
James Wood (free)
Michael Johnson (loan)
Abdi Ibrahim (loan)
Donal McDermott (released)
Tom Skogsrud (released)
Kim Skogsrud (released)
Felipe Caicedo (£800,000)
Vladimir Weiss (loan)
Emmanuel Adebayor (loan)
Roque Santa Cruz (loan)
John Guidetti (loan)
Ahmed Benali (loan)
Craig Bellamy (free)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (undisclosed)

IN's:

Gael Clichy (£7,000,000)
Stefan Savic (£4,000,000)
Sergio Aguero (£36,000,000)
Karim Rekik £600,000
Denis Suarez £800,000
Angus Gunn (undisc.)
Costel Pantilimon (£300,000 rising to £2,700,000)
Samir Nasri (£23,000,000)
Owen Hargreaves (Free)

UPCOMING FIXTURES:
all times GMT+1

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

We 14 September 19:45 Napoli, The Etihad, CLGS1

*Su 18 Sep 15:00 Fulham, Craven Cottage, PL

Tu/We 20/21 Sep 19:45 Birmingham, The Etihad, LC3

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

Tu 27 September 19:45 Bayern Munich, Allianz Arena,
CLGS2

* Date Change

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