Today City have announced the signing of David Silva from Valencia in a move that addresses our need for the kind of player who can unlock the most stubborn of Premier League defences.
The nature of the transfer rumour mill has kept me sceptical about the closeness of this deal - especially with the whispers that Chelsea were set to enter the race - so I am delighted (as is Silva!) now that the deal is complete.
I wrote at the weekend how this signing would basically eliminate all the fears about what damage failing to qualify for the Champions' League would do to our ability to attract the players capable of taking the club forward. Roberto Mancini intimated the same today:
"In signing David, we are showing the world that we are bringing the best players here and that we hope to compete to win the Premier League. When players see what is happening at City and the ambition they are attracted to what we are building and want to be a part of it."
Largely through Hughes' sacking and how the media perceived it, everybody became fixated on the Champions' League at City and this clouded the fact that obvious progress was being made at the club. City are a team on the up and players are noticing it. The rumours that Pepe Reina and Xabi Alonso encouraged Silva to make the move are just one example of this.
The idea of 'writing history' with a club, as Mancini suggested Robinho could do when he arrived, has its appeals, and Silva is of an age where he will be entering the peak of his career during the years City hope to be enjoying the heights of new success.
"They are a club with a great future with fantastic players. I want to be an important player in City's history," Silva said today.
Looking ahead to 14th August, we already have a huge improvement on the team that faced Tottenham in the final game at Eastlands last season. One of our main problems in that game was a lack of creativity from midfield - we had no answers to Tottenham's towering defensive display. The signing of Silva gives us that cutting edge and his arrival should mean we won't be as reliant on the counter attack next season. The thought of him attacking upfront alongside Tevez, Johnson, Adebayor, etc, is likely to frighten most defences in the league.
Maybe he could dislodge the faltering Torres for Spain and we can see some more of him in the coming weeks. If not, he is just another reason I cannot wait for the new season!
No comments:
Post a Comment