Buzzin Football

As the worlds richest football club it is understandable that Manchester City will continue to be linked with every half decent player that exists, but the signing of Gareth Barry from Aston Villa this week may just prove that the owners of City are at coming round to manager Mark Hughes way of thinking.

Nobody has ever argued that Hughes did an excellent job on limited financial resources while with Blackburn Rovers, he understands the fundamentals of building a football team that is both tough defensively and that can win games with attacking flair. His managerial career has been built on that platform and his signings of Barry, Wayne Bridge, Craig Bellamy are nothing less than would be expected from him.

I believe that Hughes recognises the fact that the club will not attract the ’superstars’ that it’s owners desire, until City show that they are capable of being a top European club.

The fact that they already have the flair of Robinho is a bonus for now, Kaka, Ronaldo, Eto’o, Villa, Drogba etc would be fantastic acquisitions for sure, but a solid team that can compete with the ‘big four’ is what is required to draw in those big names.

It would be fantastic if City were to snatch Tevez from under the nose of their fiercest rivals and he would be a massive asset without doubt. He is grafter rather than superstar, despite his price tag, and would easily fit in with the team that Hughes is building.

I firmly believe that the stars will come, already they know that City is a club where they will be guaranteed top wages, but I would be surprised to see any arriving at Eastlands this season and it is now up to Hughes to launch an assault on the top four next season to further establish the clubs true credentials.