Article by James

So the Premier League season draws near once again. The excitement is slowly building up, I can feel it already. All the big clubs are in their usual pre-season mode, already in training of course, while trying to close any last-minute deals for players (the season starts in less than a month by the way, so those deals had better be wrapped up pretty sharpish!) to get them integrated into their squads in time for D-day. Transfer rumours abound of course, though deals usually take a bit of work before the i’s are dotted and the t’s crossed…

But one Premier League club that doesn’t seem to be too worried about crossing t’s and dotting i’s is Manchester City. With more money available than they really know what to do with it, City have already splashed the cash and have built themselves up quite a formidable squad for the coming season. Big name signings include David Silva from Valencia and Yaya Toure from Barcelona, while the latest transfer rumours have them linked with Didier Drogba, Balotelli and Aleksandar Kolarov of Lazio. No question that their shopping spree isn’t quite over for the summer…

Look too at who they’ve brought into their coaching ranks this summer. Former England skipper David Platt and Italian Attilio Lombardo (he of the bald head and who starred for Crystal Palace in the Premier League back in the 90s). The backroom staff is an area often critically overlooked, but could it be that City are building themselves an empire of sorts and are laying down the foundations for seasons to come?

Some might say that all that money being spent will build an empire, but will it build a team? There’s no doubting that City possess a very talented squad with world-class individuals, but do they have what it takes to go all the way in the Premier League? Will spending even more money on players like Drogba guarantee them a title? Let’s face it, Jack Walker’s money gifted Blackburn the Premier League title, and without Roman Abramovich’s money Chelsea would still be only the second or third best side in London. So yes, money can buy success.

But will all that flash cash turn Manchester City into a club despised and ridiculed, much in the way that Chelsea were in the early days of Abramovich? Nobody likes having wealth flaunted before them, and perhaps City are leering dangerously in that direction. Especially with players like Adebayor on their books. For a club that was just a few seasons ago languishing in the third tier of English football, they’ve come a long way: financially, spectacularly so over the last year or so. Not that it’s gone to their heads, but that club always yo-yoing between leagues, with seasons always poised to end in either success or tragedy, is no more.

And when I stick my fanciest football predictions hat on for the coming season, I see that Manchester City won’t be walking away with the Premier League trophy. They should break up the Old Top Four, but I can’t see them quite surpassing Chelsea and Manchester United. At least not this season…

About the Author

James is the footie-mad Brit over at hunchers.com, who writes all about the Premier League, the Champions League, and now, while it’s hot, all the latest transfer rumours. Hunchers.com is a fast growing sports prediction community – get on over there to prove you know a thing or two about sports!