Eden Hazard was a cat’s whisker away from joining Manchester City in the summer of 2012. A fee had reportedly been agreed with Lille and the player was dead-set on displaying his ability on a much bigger stage with Roberto Mancini’s champions. In the event though his agent’s exorbitant fee proved to be a sticking point and Chelsea – happy to spend whatever was necessary to secure the next superstar of the Premier League – duly swooped.
A similar scenario played out last year too. City had long identified Napoli’s Jorginho as their key summer target and after some toing and froing agreements were reached in principal only for Chelsea to gazump late in the day with a higher bid. Napoli then looked to City for a response but the club was already walking away.
It is pertinent to acknowledge the scale of these sacrifices. Even at the age of 21 Hazard was no risk or luxury. He was always going to become the player he is today. Jorginho meanwhile was viewed as a crucial jigsaw piece by a coach who, by virtue of stature, achievement and employer, can pretty much cherry-pick from world football’s top shelf.
These two examples – of which there are several more incidentally – demonstrate an ethical stance that’s rare at the highest level but by the same token are not intended to suggest that City are entirely virtuous in their transfer dealings governed as they are by honour (though it would surprise rival fans greatly to what extent that is true). Ultimately they are as rapacious and ruthless as any elite club in a fiercely competitive multi-billion pound industry. They look after number one.
Yet time and again, consistently so, the facts, figures and anecdotes illustrate that after an initial couple of years of accelerated, supermarket-sweep spending post-takeover City swiftly implemented a transfer strategy that is not only deserving of praise for their refusal to play games or pay over the odds but more so should be the envy of all.
Only two clubs – Chelsea and Barcelona – have spent more on players in the past decade yet City’s record signing Kevin De Bruyne lies 19th on the all-time most expensive transfers list. Two clubs – Manchester United and Liverpool – have higher wage bills yet such is the collective calibre of the Blues’ squad they have amassed 198 points across two seasons and dominated the English game.
A closer inspection of that squad meanwhile, reveals an anti-galactico approach aimed at bringing in players still to hit their prime. Ten of their previous 17 signings were aged 25 or under and there is no requirement here to elaborate on how astute the recruitment has been when a simple list will suffice: Ederson; Laporte; De Bruyne; Bernardo Silva; Sane; and Raheem Sterling.
In a footballing sense that is a six-fold accumulator paying repeated dividends but from a business perspective too it denotes extreme shrewdness. The world lost its faculties when City purchased the ‘flop’ De Bruyne for £68m back in 2015 but four years on what is his value today? Bernardo Silva came for £45m and the club could easily treble that presently should they be insane enough to sell this year’s Ballon d’Or contender.
Yet still supporters of rival clubs routinely dismiss an impeccable and highly commendable record in the transfer market as being the inevitable consequence of extreme wealth. Why is this? Possibly deep down they know how things really are but can never publicly admit to it? Perhaps they are blinded by bias? Maybe they’re just plain wrong?
Whatever the reason, they are witnessing City’s uncompromising adherence to a sound policy once again this summer. The title holders want Matthijs de Ligt and they want him very badly because the Ajax defender is a generational talent who could step into Vincent Kompany’s momentous boots for a decade to come. Alas his wage demands are so substantial as to smash City’s structure and that absolutely cannot be allowed to happen so currently it seems any potential deal is off.
Harry Maguire too is highly coveted as Guardiola seeks out a top quality centre-back. Unfortunately so long as Leicester dig their heels in and demand a fee substantially over his market value – as they have every right to do so of course – then City are standing their ground and this despite wanting to complete their business early this window.
By way of contrast concerning De Ligt, Manchester United recently leaked that they are prepared to pay more than anyone else, no matter the sum. Remember them? The club where players come for love, not money supposedly.
Bizarrely, the opposite of which is still the stick used to beat City with despite all evidence pointing to the contrary but if an erroneous, dated prejudice is forgivable coming from a rival fan there is no excuse when it’s spewed from the mouth of La Liga president Javier Tebas as was the case last month.
His ascertain that City – along with Paris Saint-Germain – are ‘inflating the market’ and causing ‘massive’ damage on European football was not only fallacious but so hypocritical that the word now has a laughing face emoji next to it in the dictionary.
Already this summer Real Madrid have splurged a staggering £274m on five players including, coincidentally, Eden Hazard and solely staying with him adequately highlights how the Spanish behemoths continue to warp football into another realm. Can you even imagine Manchester City countenancing the madness of spending £89m on a 28-year-old with just a year left on his contract?
[SPORT] | Barcelona staying calm over Antoine Griezmann signing.
Gil Marin tried to accelerate the deal but the Catalans will not be rushed. pic.twitter.com/eYIawW69xH
— BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes) June 16, 2019
Barcelona meanwhile lavished €170m on two forwards last summer – both of whom struggled under the enormous expectation – and it is they who didn’t blink at investing a fortune on Frenkie De Jong while City baulked at the figures, and it is they who are set to meet Antoine Griezmann’s stunning release clause of €125m.
For what it’s worth too, both Real Madrid and Barcelona pay the highest salaries in world sport.
Yet for a compendium of reasons – none of them particularly savoury – it is always City who are the short-hand for profligacy; always City who are damned for ‘ruining football’.
The unfortunate truth for many, but the truth nonetheless, is that in actuality is it Manchester City who are showing those who can afford to copy them the way. The right way in every sense.
