A
new Addition to the blog, where contributors submit articles on soccer related
topics
By Beth
Kelly from Chicago, IL
Twitter: @bkelly_88
What
Next for Manchester City?
Manchester City fans have been on a roller coaster
ride since Sheikh Mansour took control of the club in 2008. An owner with
unlimited resources and a rapacious appetite for success was just what the
doctor ordered for the blue side of Manchester, and the £33 million signing of
Robinho made it clear that the Sheikh was happy to dip into his deep pockets. A
spending spree followed that was unlike anything that had ever been witnessed
in the English game, and the 2011 F.A. Cup final saw the Sky Blues lift their first
silverware since 1976.
The
joy of City fans only intensified the following year as the side clinched their
first title since the 1960s on the last day of the 2011-12 Premier League season. Adding to their
exhilaration was the bonus that Sergio Agüero’s injury time winner against QPR
had dashed the cup from the lips of their crosstown nemesis. United were on the
field at Sunderland celebrating their twentieth championship when news came
through that the Argentine had scored.
One
could be forgiven for thinking that City fans must be pinching themselves to
make sure that they are not dreaming, but rumblings of discontent are starting
to be heard around the Etihad. Mansour has spent over a billion pounds
assembling a squad to challenge Europe’s best, but some experts feel that the
team will require a complete makeover in the coming seasons. The problem is
age, and many of Manchester City’s most important players will soon be on the
wrong side of 30. The team is built around its formidable spine, but Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure and David Silva will all have to be replaced in
coming transfer windows.
While
that may not seem like much of a problem for a team with unlimited funds,
UEFA’s financial fair play rules have changed the way that clubs can spend.
Teams must now spend within their means, and club revenues limit the amount
that wealthy owners can throw around. City have raised eyebrows with
sponsorship deals from companies associated with the Sheikh that make little
financial sense, and UEFA’s president Michel Platini is on record as saying
that such deals will be closely scrutinized in the future. City have already
seen the size of their Champions League squad reduced because of FFP
violations, and continued noncompliance could see the side banned from the
tournament completely.
Adding
to the challenge facing City is the financial muscle of their main competitors.
Paul Pogba is seen by many as the heir apparent to Yaya Toure, but clubs with
far higher revenues like Manchester United and Real Madrid have also been
linked with the Juventus star. Outrageous wages have been the tool used by City
to lure top signings away from their more glamorous competitors, but paying top
dollar for talent has not always proved successful. The club spent $25 million
to bring Emmanuel Adebayor in from Arsenal in
2009, but his reported wages of £170 thousand per week made the Togolese
striker difficult to move on when his on field performances failed to live up
to his paycheck.
The
biggest challenge facing City is their perceived lack of pedigree compared to
the European football elite. Top players will often take less money if it means
that they can line up for Bayern Munich or Barcelona, but Manchester City do
not have that type of allure. The club has taken steps to address this, and
enormous investment has been made on facilities designed to develop
and nurture young players. However, none of these players look likely to break
into the first team anytime soon.
Manchester
City have attracted a great many American fans in recent years, and NBC
Premier League or Dish Latino packages mean that these new fans
can watch any EPL game involving the Sky Blues. However, City fans in the
United States and elsewhere must be wondering if the FFP rules will send their roller coaster
plummeting once more.
