The 10 worst Man City signings of the Sheikh Mansour era
As well as the superstars, Manchester City have also signed plenty of duds since the Abu Dhabi-led takeover.
The Abu Dhabi-led takeover of Manchester City in 2008 changed the landscape of the Premier League forever as the oil billions of the Gulf state gave the club the resources to shop from the top shelf of the transfer market.
But for every Sergio Aguero or David Silva, there has been a dud or two signed by City over the past 12 years.
Here are 10 of the biggest let-downs...
Emmanuel Adebayor
The £25m capture of Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor, at that time one of the best centre-forwards in the Premier League, in the summer of 2009 was a statement signing.
It proved that City had the appeal to lure the best players in the league, but Adebayor soon faded after a promising start and was loaned out to Real Madrid and Tottenham before leaving permanently.
Wilfried Bony
Wilfried Bony was a proven Premier League goalscorer at the time of his £25m move to City, scoring 26 times in 54 appearances for Swansea City over two seasons. But Roberto Mancini never had a clear plan for the Ivorian striker and he left just two years later to return to South Wales having found the back of the net just six times for the Blues.
Claudio Bravo
Pep Guardiola demands certain things of his goalkeepers and Joe Hart was judged to be unsuitable upon the Spaniard's arrival at the Etihad Stadium.
Claudio Bravo was signed for his ability on the ball, but the Chilean was prone to high-profile blunders and was himself replaced by Ederson just one year later.
Bravo is still at the club, making appearances in the cup competitions, but his signing remains a misstep.
Wayne Bridge
Signed in January 2009 as one of City’s first big signings following the Abu Dhabi takeover, Wayne Bridge was the signing for the sake of a signing.
Then-boss Mark Hughes had no real place for the former Chelsea player, especially after the capture of Gael Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov.
Bridge still managed 42 appearances for City, but left having failed to make much of an impression.
Javi Garcia
The £16m signing of Javi Garcia from Benfica in the summer of 2012, just weeks after Manchester City had won their first Premier League title, was a significant one.
However, the midfielder was too slow and didn’t have the passing ability to succeed at the Etihad Stadium. His signing was an expensive mistake with Garcia leaving the club just two years later. At least City were able to recoup £13m for him from Zenit St Petersburg.
Maicon
So fleeting was Maicon’s time at City that some fans have probably forgotten he even played for the club. The Brazilian was one of the best full-backs in the game for a period, but he only made nine appearances in total for City in 2012/13, leaving after just one season in the Premier League to return to Italy with Roma.
The modest £3m fee paid for Maicon meant little was lost, but his signing was still pointless.
Eliaquim Mangala
Signed for £42m, City made Eliaquim Mangala the most expensive defender in British transfer history in August 2014. The French international was signed to be a long-term partner for Vincent Kompany with the aim that he would eventually succeed the Belgian as City’s defensive bedrock, but Mangala struggled badly and signed for Valencia as a free agent last year.
His signing is arguably the club’s biggest financial mistake to date.
Robinho
Targeted as City’s first statement signing of the Abu Dhabi era, Robinho never truly wanted to be at the club.
Robinho is unveiled as a Manchester City player by then manager Mark Hughes.
The Brazilian admitted as much in an interview years later, revealing that he had hoped to join Chelsea instead.
This lack of interest was evident in performances that Robinho turned in for City, and he left to join AC Milan just two years later.
Jack Rodwell
Having been linked with a big-money move away from Everton for a number of years, Jack Rodwell eventually arrived at Manchester City in 2012.
The midfielder suffered badly from injuries during his time at the Etihad Stadium, making only 16 appearances over two years.
Rodwell left for Sunderland in a £10m deal that remarkably saw City claw back the majority of what they played for the player in the first place.
Scott Sinclair
City’s transfer business in the summer of 2012 was somewhat peculiar, and the signing of Scott Sinclair from Swansea City for £8m was their strangest addition.
The former Chelsea youth product was never good enough for the Premier League champions and left on loan just one season later having failed to break into the first team.
The Abu Dhabi-led takeover of Manchester City in 2008 changed the landscape of the Premier League forever as the oil billions of the Gulf state gave the club the resources to shop from the top shelf of the transfer market.
But for every Sergio Aguero or David Silva, there has been a dud or two signed by City over the past 12 years.
Here are 10 of the biggest let-downs...
Emmanuel Adebayor
The £25m capture of Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor, at that time one of the best centre-forwards in the Premier League, in the summer of 2009 was a statement signing.
It proved that City had the appeal to lure the best players in the league, but Adebayor soon faded after a promising start and was loaned out to Real Madrid and Tottenham before leaving permanently.
Wilfried Bony
Wilfried Bony was a proven Premier League goalscorer at the time of his £25m move to City, scoring 26 times in 54 appearances for Swansea City over two seasons. But Roberto Mancini never had a clear plan for the Ivorian striker and he left just two years later to return to South Wales having found the back of the net just six times for the Blues.
Claudio Bravo
Pep Guardiola demands certain things of his goalkeepers and Joe Hart was judged to be unsuitable upon the Spaniard's arrival at the Etihad Stadium.
Claudio Bravo was signed for his ability on the ball, but the Chilean was prone to high-profile blunders and was himself replaced by Ederson just one year later.
Bravo is still at the club, making appearances in the cup competitions, but his signing remains a misstep.
Wayne Bridge
Signed in January 2009 as one of City’s first big signings following the Abu Dhabi takeover, Wayne Bridge was the signing for the sake of a signing.
Then-boss Mark Hughes had no real place for the former Chelsea player, especially after the capture of Gael Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov.
Bridge still managed 42 appearances for City, but left having failed to make much of an impression.
Javi Garcia
The £16m signing of Javi Garcia from Benfica in the summer of 2012, just weeks after Manchester City had won their first Premier League title, was a significant one.
However, the midfielder was too slow and didn’t have the passing ability to succeed at the Etihad Stadium. His signing was an expensive mistake with Garcia leaving the club just two years later. At least City were able to recoup £13m for him from Zenit St Petersburg.
Maicon
So fleeting was Maicon’s time at City that some fans have probably forgotten he even played for the club. The Brazilian was one of the best full-backs in the game for a period, but he only made nine appearances in total for City in 2012/13, leaving after just one season in the Premier League to return to Italy with Roma.
The modest £3m fee paid for Maicon meant little was lost, but his signing was still pointless.
Eliaquim Mangala
Signed for £42m, City made Eliaquim Mangala the most expensive defender in British transfer history in August 2014. The French international was signed to be a long-term partner for Vincent Kompany with the aim that he would eventually succeed the Belgian as City’s defensive bedrock, but Mangala struggled badly and signed for Valencia as a free agent last year.
His signing is arguably the club’s biggest financial mistake to date.
Robinho
Targeted as City’s first statement signing of the Abu Dhabi era, Robinho never truly wanted to be at the club.
Robinho is unveiled as a Manchester City player by then manager Mark Hughes.
The Brazilian admitted as much in an interview years later, revealing that he had hoped to join Chelsea instead.
This lack of interest was evident in performances that Robinho turned in for City, and he left to join AC Milan just two years later.
Jack Rodwell
Having been linked with a big-money move away from Everton for a number of years, Jack Rodwell eventually arrived at Manchester City in 2012.
The midfielder suffered badly from injuries during his time at the Etihad Stadium, making only 16 appearances over two years.
Rodwell left for Sunderland in a £10m deal that remarkably saw City claw back the majority of what they played for the player in the first place.
Scott Sinclair
City’s transfer business in the summer of 2012 was somewhat peculiar, and the signing of Scott Sinclair from Swansea City for £8m was their strangest addition.
The former Chelsea youth product was never good enough for the Premier League champions and left on loan just one season later having failed to break into the first team.
Henry
just love writing about football and playing video games, love my quiet time also. contact me @ [email protected]
