City fans have been lauding new manager Manuel Pellegrini for his signings of Fernandinho, Navas, Jovetic and Negredo for a combined fee of nearly 100 million. However, how wise have these purchases been considering the histories these have?
Fernandinho has barely had a run in a Brazil side branded as one of the worst in the countries history, and this is the player who cost £30 million coming out of the Ukrainian league. All at the tender age of 27. Navas had an impressive confederations cup, impressing audiences with his lightning speed and ability to create chances from nothing. At £15 million, Navas could prove to be a bargain in the inflated market world football currently resides in. Jovetic and Negredo were both players heavily linked with other sides before City swooped in and secured both players signatures in an attempt to replace Balotelli and Tevez, whilst avoiding the hassle their predecessors brought to the club.
Pellegrini is likely to avoid the mistakes made by Mancini. The Italian attempted to buy the biggest name players he could in each position, hoping that the resulting cluster of players would gel and work together as a team. That plan failed, wasting hundreds of millions in the process, with Mancini eventually overcome by the volume of ego's occupying the dressing room. As Pellegrini proved at Malaga, he has a talent for constructing a well organised team with strength in depth. Although City's current signings may not appear to be the biggest names, Pellegrini feels they are vital to achieving the blue prints he laid out before signing the dotted line at the club.
The Chilean manager appears to be signing players with the aim of working towards a goal, rather than just because he can. If he can harness the potential he has gathered and integrate them seamlessly into the side, Manchester City will be a force to be reckoned with next season.
Source: DSG
