Source: Eurosport
Barry boosted recruitment drive - Hughes
Mark Hughes is convinced the early arrival of Gareth Barry helped trigger Manchester City's £120million summer spending spree.[LNB]Barry concluded negotiations with City over a £12million move from Aston Villa during an England World Cup double-header at the end of last season.[LNB]Having been denied a "dream" move to Liverpool 12 months earlier, Barry was in no mood to hang around again. And, while City could not immediately offer the Champions League combat the 28-year-old was so desperate for, the switch offered a promise of far more than Villa could.[LNB]And, for Hughes, the spin-off was a significant statement of intent, which proved the prelude to a flurry of transfer activity aimed at propelling the Eastlands outfit into the top four.[LNB]"Gareth was always a player I had admired from afar," recounted Hughes. "He has a huge range of passing and is able to be constructive and destructive in midfield.[LNB]"When you also take into account the amount of quality games he is able to produce over a long period of time, I just felt he was a player we needed to bring to the club. To a certain extent it helped other players to come as well."
