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Manchester City are the blue part of Manchester who have risen to unexpected levels in the last five years. The new ownership from Abu Dhabi has brought luck and moolah to a side which was considered the under-achieving side of Manchester until before. The new management has certainly taken things seriously and helped them elevate to new heights after they secured their first title in 44 years! The last season will surely go down the history books and be remembered as the year in which the noisy neighbors silenced The Reds.
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The overhaul of this club saw many fresh faces being brought in to make the team worthy of winning not just the EPL title, but the Champions league title as well. The Abu Dhabi United Group took over the club in 2008 and since then, spent a whopping 359 million pounds in the transfer market! The investment finally paid off when Sergio Aguero netted in the season winner which saw Manchester City win the title on goal difference! The goal not only saw City lift the EPL title but also saw the hopes of a 20th title for Manchester United destroyed.
Let’s look at the big signings made by City in this period:
- Gael Clichy
- Sergio Aguero
- Mario Balotelli
- James Milner
- Edin Dzeko
- Gareth Barry
- Carlos Tevez
- Emmanuel Adebayor
- Kolo Toure
- Joleon Lescott
- Jerome Boateng
- David Silva
- Yaya Toure
- Vincent Kompany
- Robinho
- Nigel de Jong
Yes, these signings were made in the last five years!
Most of these players constitute the starting eleven of the team. Some of them even moved from rival teams like Arsenal and Manchester United to join City.
Another landmark moment was the stadium naming deal, in which City raked a handsome 120 million pounds for renaming the stadium to Etihad Stadium — a move which angered Arsene Wenger to a great extent. Understandably so, with Arsenal lacking both funds (as compared to City) and trophies since their 2005 FA Cup victory. The frustration is slowly growing among the die-hard Arsenal fans as well.
The constant search of a perfect manager for City is finally over as Roberto Mancini has delivered the goods. Except for the theatrical tantrums caused by Carlos Tevez, Mancini did not have any trouble in executing his plans. Despite a few slip-ups, Manchester City peaked at the right time to clinch the nail-biting season.
The transfer season of 2012 though has been very quiet for Man City. Mancini did voice his frustration due to the lack of activity but it fell on deaf ears. The rumors indicate that City could rope in the following players:
In:
- Robin van Persie (Not likely now)
- Daniel Agger
Out:
- Edin Dzeko (AC Milan)
Let’s hope that the rise of Manchester City continue and the fierce rivalry between the top EPL clubs gives us plenty of entertaining matches in the near future.
