May you have as much luck with Bulgarian forwards as we have (but he must stub a toe twice a season ). So I was thinking, between this and Neri, I think you guys have dodged a bullet and settled on a superb strike force for the next two year. I feel that Castillo (and I could be wrong as I am judging this on Copa) is player that is more comfortable alone up top and a bit of a prima donna. Bianchi, meanwhile (and I think this is the best summer signing in the Prem this year and did an article on the fact) is a great partner to other forwards as he can score, create, link and draw defenders. Boijinov, I have thought, is going to turn into a solid forward but needs some of the same confidence that allowed Bianchi to prosper, as he is still very young. I think he will get it under Sven and being a number 2 to Biancho, he will have lots of chances and most likely prosper. He will start slow but given time City have a phenomenal strike force now.
I don't know if it's done but Corluka could signed, sealed, and delivered to RB for city, which means we can put Richards at CB. From my overly optimistic calculations the team seems to be coming together as follows imo: ----------------Isackson-------------- Corluka-----Dunne----- Richards---- Ball ------------Johnson/Fernandes--------- Elano?--------Geovani/Ireland-----Petrov ----------Bojinov--------Bianchi------
Bojinov could be a great signing for us. Lots of potential, and its exactly what we need right now. I'd rather have his upside than the 'proven' goal scoring ability of Corradi. Chiellini, a solid RB, and another MF and I think we have ourselves a competitive team! Our youth system pumps out English prospects and will provide great cover for any injuries, and Sven is bringing in top notch guys that will drive our own talent to succeed at a higher level. (Johnson, Richards, Ireland) If all else fails, at least Man City should be a great team for Football Manager 2008!
Bojinov - [ He built up a partnership with Luca Toni during the 2005-06 season, with Toni scoring the most Serie A goals in one season ] Sounds like he might be more of a set-up guy with only 8 goals that season that Toni wen't off. Bianchi's videos show him to be very adept at putting any ball near the goal in. Not the most prolific, but hopefully Boj will be very complementary to him esp. with fellow countryman Petrov on his left-side. Any thoughts on Elano, potential LB's, or anyone else we've been linked with? Berbetov!
----------------Isackson-------------- Corluka-----Dunne----- Richards----Garrido ------------Johnson/Fernandes--------- Elano?--------Geovani/Ireland-----Petrov ----------Bojinov--------Bianchi------ Completely different team from last year. Almost 200% better IMHO.
allegedly you guys are putting in a 10M euro bid for andrea barzagl, though i don't know if they would sell for that low, as he is now their captain and with amauri, their best player
Both Garrido & Corluka have been announced on the homepage. Garrido does not have an "official" article, but is mentioned vaguely as a signing when they refer to Corluka as the 6th signing (and the BBC have confirmed it as well). Very good news indeed.
Sven-Goran Eriksson has completed his third signing of the day with Brazillian midfielder Elano Blumer joining the Blues in an £8m deal. The Brazillian international signs in from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk on a four-year contract and gives the Blues boss further options in his squad. http://www.mcfc.co.uk/default.sps?p...ommonth=6&fromyear=2007&tomonth=8&toyear=2007 The day that Sven turned Man City around.
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_2636848,00.html I think fellow Spaniard Garrido is a great buy and will bring a strong ethic to City's back line, as well as counter-attack-stopping speed. He has much potential and will work well with Richards, Dunne, and Corluka (raising competition). He does have an attacking instinct, too, so look for opportunistic shots on goal.
Spot on here Man City fans , Told you lot was garanteed 3 new players im sorry for not providing any names . What great buys though , Well done and good luck for new season
IMO, Bojinov > Castillo. We have done VERY well out of this. I think our first game will be very interesting with the two contrasting methods. WHU - English Players MC - Non-English. I think honestly we have done amazingly well out of this period.
Other than Bojinov, you are also supposed to be signing another Brazilian. I would think he would be someone holding either an EU passport or having played enough games for Brazil. The good thing from our perspective is that the derby comes so early, it might be too soon for 11 disparate players to settle in. I do hope though that you take points off Chelski.
No. That was based on Elano's comments and a poster on MEN who always gets it right(actually he got all of the 3 signings today as well as Corluka's jersey number).
Sven Still Wants Bresciano Socceroo Mark Bresciano continues to be linked with Manchester City, as Sven Goran-Eriksson continues his spending spree. Since officially taking the reins at the club, Eriksson has brought in Italian Rolando Bianchi, Swiss Gelson Fernandes, Bulgarian Martin Petrov and Brazilian midfielder Geovanni. Additionally, striker Valeri Bojinov and left-back Javi Garrido are the next players poised to be unveiled. Bresciano is believed to be the next target, with initial enquiries surrounding his availability first arising during the Asian Cup. The Serie A man’s ability to play both wide or as an attacking midfielder are said to be the reasons behind Eriksson’s interest.
I'm thinking we should be very competitive for a UEFA Cup Spot with another Striker and the team playing together. I think it would be a major dissapointment to finish lower than 8th. Finally exciting to be a Citeh fan again! Not since Promotion have I been this stoked on the Blues of Manchester.
sure, I'll elaborate.. E..l..a..n..o...w..a..s...c..r..a...alright, you should get it. Seriously, what's not to understand? He was playing poorly for Shakhtar and he did much better for the Brazil NT. Although, he did score that sick goal against Sevilla.. One more thing in defense of SHakhtar (no, I don't like them, either). SOmeone said that no-one ever leaves Shakhtar... In the last 6months they sold; Tymoschuk to Zenit Matuzalem to Real Zaragoza Marica to Stuttgart Elano to city.. They were all key players btw...well, maybe not Elano..but the point is that their transfer policy is sensible.
From what I understand, he was not great, but he was not shite. Most commentators think that Shaktar was a horrible fit for Elano, which is why his performance dropped. He is one of the few relatively physical Brazilian footballers (Adriano being the other that comes to mind) and has been said to have been the start of a new generation of hybrid agile-strong Braz' midfielders. City is a much better fit for his skill-set and will hopefully bring him back to his Santos form.
Bresciano is a very good player, one of those quality midfielders who are great in attack but also competent defenders and hard workers. He's also got a very good long shot and can be extremly deft with his passing, while still retaining that physicality. The problem with him is when he's off form, you hardly see him. I would be sad to see him leave Palermo though, he did alot for us last season.
Well, he wasn't very happy being at Shaktar either. He is a brilliant buy, your best purchase so far. As for season expectations, you should aim for a top 10 for a start(it will take time for them to gel and not all of them will succeed either) and anything extra would be a bonus.
The news here in Brazil are mentioning Man City made an offer for Josue, a defensive midfielder who currently plays for Sao Paulo F.C, he also played most of the games for Brazil's NT in this Copa America. He's a great player, but I'm not sure how good he would be in the Premiership, hes really tiny.