Man City Weekly Update – Roque Santa Cruz, Stuart Taylor, Joe Hart, Daniel Sturridge and Joleon Lescott

Maybe I should complain about the lack of transfer activity more often! After the lacklustre affairs of last week, in which the major news was the release of the fixture list, the past seven days have seen two arrivals, one departure, one more departure to be settled by a tribunal, and the promise and expectation of more signings. This past week has been nothing short of captivating!

Roque Ride or Cruz Control?

As reported in a full length article earlier this week, which can be found here, former Blackburn and Bayern Munich striker Roque Santa Cruz has joined City on a four year deal for a fee in the region of £16 million. The Blues, and Mark Hughes in particular, have been trailing the prolific Paraguay international for some time now, so will be delighted with his capture. The manager went as far as saying that if Santa Cruz had been available during last season, then the Blues would have reached Europe.

The striker possesses a physical presence that will unsettle opposition defences, as well as being a cultured finisher. He scored 23 goals in his debut season in the Premier League ad it is hoped that he can recapture that season’s form rather than the performances, or rather, lack of them, that he displayed in a injury hit 2008/2009 campaign. His style of play will hopefully work in tandem with either Valeri Bojinov or Craig Bellamy, and there is a strong possibility that Argentinean playboy Carlos Tevéz will also be joining City’s ranks.

 
I wonder who has more success with the ladies?

Stuart is Taylor-made for City

Following close on the heels of the Santa Cruz purchase, Mark Hughes snapped up his third signing of the summer transfer window with the arrival of former Aston Villa and Arsenal goalkeeper Stuart Taylor. He became the second player from the Midlands club to jump ship to City this summer, following in the footsteps of England international midfielder Gareth Barry.

Taylor has been signed as cover for the Republic of Ireland stopper Shay Given, whose excellent form at the back-end of last season meant that Joe Hart remained a substitute. Although signed primarily to provide back-up in case of an injury to Given, Taylor will hope to impress in training and be handed an opportunity to take his place in the first team. He has played just 68 times in thirteen years, although he has picked up a Premier League winners’ medal during his time at Arsenal and he has also represented England under 21’s on three occasions.

 
Taylor moves to City on a one year deal

Will Absence Make the Hart Grow Fonder?

The arrival of Taylor from Aston Villa opened the door for promising young goalkeeper Charles Joseph John “Joe” Hart to finally complete his season long-loan deal at newly promoted Birmingham. This move has been in the pipeline for a while, but with Kasper Schmeichel set to leave, Mark Hughes was thin on the ground in the goalkeeping department. So in came Taylor, and out went Hart.

Personally, and I think that the vast majority of City fans will agree with me on this, I believe this is a move which will benefit all parties. Hart will get more experience in the top flight, provided that he sees off the challenge from Maik Taylor, whilst Birmingham now have the security of Hart in net. Hopefully, the former Shrewsbury stopper will return in the summer and be ready to compete with Given for a first team place.

Hart will hopefully prosper at Birmingham

Danny Wants to Become Stur-RICH 

Continuing on the theme of departures, young English striker Daniel Andre “Danny” Sturridge is nearing the exit door, with the former Coventry player set to join Chelsea imminently. The transfer of Sturridge has been an ongoing saga in recent weeks, with City offering the forward a new contract that has been rejected. Sturridge is holding out for a lucrative offer, thought to be in the region of £50,000 a week. For someone of his age, and for someone who has yet to produce the business consistently in the Premier League, that seems a ridiculous demand and City are steadfast in their refusal to grant him this contract.

For all our wealth, I find it refreshing and thoroughly uplifting that City will not be held to ransom by anyone, so it looks as if the youngster is on his way to Chelsea. Yet again, this does strike me as slightly bizarre, because it is highly unlikely that Sturridge will be able to force his way past Didier Drogba or Nicolas Anelka. For all his promise, Sturridge is not worth anywhere near the amount he is asking for, so it is correct, in my humble opinion, that City are letting him go.

A sight that we are unlikely to see any more

Everton Want To Escape (Le) Scott Free

After bolstering the attack, Mark Hughes has started to turn his thoughts to tightening City’s defence. His primary target is apparently Joleon Lescott, with Sparky believing that the Everton centre-back can double up as a left-back if necessary. He has been one of the standout performers for Everton in the couple of season, so would command a hefty price, with a £15 million fee being reported in the media.

If this deal were to happen, I think it would turn out to be another great piece of business for City. He is a solid, no-nonsense type of defender and unusually, is able to score his fair amount of goals. His arrival would, in all likelihood, signal the end of Richard Dunne’s City career, but Lescott would surely improve the quality of the squad.

The good-looking Lescott is next on City’s radar

Please let me know below what you think of this article, Hughes’s transfer dealings, and the corny sub-titles I have given to each paragraph. Thanks for reading.