Sven seals first City deal
13 Jul 2007 - 13:51:26
Sven-Goran Eriksson has concluded his first piece of transfer business since being appointed Manchester City manager by completing the signing of Reggina striker Rolando Bianchi.
The 24-year-old former Italy Under-21 international has joined the Citizens for an undisclosed fee believed to be around the £8million mark.
Eriksson, who managed in Italy for more than a decade, moved for Bianchi after he scored 18 times in Serie A last season.
Bianchi had been with Reggina for two seasons, having previously featured for Atalanta and Cagliari.
"He scored nearly 20 goals last season in Serie A, which is a lot in such a difficult league," Eriksson told the club's official website.
"He's young and I think it's a very important signing because he should have a great future. He's a good footballer as well as a good goalscorer, which is what we need.
"He's very hard-working, very strong and he can score - if you can score nearly 20 goals in Serie A and you're not with one of the top clubs like Milan or Juve then you must be talented. It's a good record and let's hope he continues with it."
Meanwhile, Eriksson has revealed he hopes the signing of Bianchi will be the first of many new arrivals.
"The signing is good because the club has been working very hard, and there will be some more to come in for sure," he added.
"I hope that the fans will be happy with this first signing - and the rest as well."