Source: Daily_Mail
We weren't talking about Eto'o, we want to be as big as Barca, insists City chief
Mark Hughes believes the mere fact Barcelona were happy to chat over future projects is proof Manchester City are being taken seriously by Europe's elite.
City quickly distanced themselves from speculation over a move for Samuel Eto'o earlier this week, insisting there was a far more meaningful reason behind the discussions chief executive Garry Cook had with Barca president Joan Laporta.
The Eto'o talk has swiftly been silenced by the player himself, who has declared an intention to remain at the Nou Camp.
For City, such rumours are merely a distraction from the process of becoming the club they aim to be.
The Blues hierarchy got their fingers badly burned by Kaka in January and their short-term ambitions are no higher than a seventh-place finish and a place in next term's new Europa League.
But Europe's long-established clubs can sniff out a fledging rival. And they are eager to learn more.
'It takes time to create a club,' said Hughes. 'But if you are building relationships you want to be there at the outset.
'The big clubs in Europe can see we intend to be one of the major players.
'In the past they would not have passed the time of day with Manchester City. They would not have regarded us at the same level.
'In the future Manchester City will be a strong team and club.'
Hughes speaks as a man with the experience of being a player for three of this week's Champions League semi-finalists, plus Bayern Munich where he revived his career after an unhappy time at Barcelona.
Not only does it give him an invaluable insight into the changes that need to be made at City, it also gives him a fairly unique viewpoint on a competition which, after the first legs, seems to be heading towards a repeat of last season's final between Manchester United and Chelsea.
'It is pretty obvious how strong the Premier League is because we have three teams in the semi-finals again,' he said. 'Both matches are up for grabs.
'At times I felt the teams were a little bit apprehensive of each other in both ties. It was the first leg and they did not want to get themselves into a situation where the whole thing was lost.
'I certainly feel we will see more fireworks in the second games.'
