The media is having a bit of a field day about tensions at Manchester City. No club is free of such tensions, but City’s ambitions and high profile players attract media attention. This is not just a question of a Champions League place. There has been a lot of speculation recently about Spurs winning the Premiership, but it is no less r
The media is having a bit of a field day about tensions at Manchester City. No club is free of such tensions, but City’s ambitions and high profile players attract media attention. This is not just a question of a Champions League place. There has been a lot of speculation recently about Spurs winning the Premiership, but it is no less realistic to think of City as at least a possible contender. Chelsea have hit a bad patch; Arsenal are top, but there are doubts about their consistency; which then leaves an interesting contest between United and City.
There is no doubt that Roberto Mancini has faced problems as a result of having to deal with unhappy players brought by his predecessor. That is a familiar situation at any level in football, but these players have an (often justified) high opinion of their own ability.
It now looks as if City are poised to sell or loan a batch of international players that cost them more than £100m to buy. If possible they want to avoid subsidising salaries as happened in the case of Craig Bellamy’s move to Cardiff City. However, they know they are not going to get back the money they splashed out on these players.
Their future strategy will be to buy players who are available at at a discount, e.g., David Luiz from Benfica who want to cash in after they were eliminated from the Champions League. Benfica would like Chelsea to make an offer to start a bidding war but those days at the Bridge are over.
The likely January sale is not just being driven by the need to get discontented players out of the dressing room. It also shows the extent to which the Uefa Financial Fair Play regulations are having an impact on leading clubs. Another factor is the media criticism that City’s ‘splash the cash’ approach has generated.
City need to get their big financial losses down fast to ensure they can play in the Champions League if they qualify. One way to do that is to spend less on buying players. But even more important, and more challenging, is to cut the wage bill. Getting players off the books one way or another is the key to doing that.