It was supposed to be the red half of Manchester who were going to splash the cash this summer. Instead, Manchester United have been left firmly in the shade by their rivals at the Etihad Stadium when it comes to exorbitant expenditure.
Manchester City’s impending £54 million signing of Kevin de Bruyne, the Belgium midfielder, from Wolfsburg — a club-record deal should be announced this weekend — will take their gross spending past £150 million this summer, about double what United have outlayed.
In fact, United’s net spend is as low as £11 million, a startling figure given the expectation that there would be one or two superstar arrivals at Old Trafford in addition to Morgan Schneiderlin and Matteo Darmian.
Liberated by Uefa’s softening of their controversial Financial Fair Play rules, growing revenues and the Premier League’s new £5.1 billion television deal, City have reacted to last season’s dismal title defence with a resounding statement of intent and started the campaign like a team determined to atone.
This summer has also reinforced the view that, despite lacking their rivals’ global popularity and rich history, City are far more adept at securing high- profile targets — from Robinho to Yaya Touré, David Silva to Sergio Agüero and now, Raheem Sterling and De Bruyne — than United, signings that fly in the face of suggestions that it is increasingly difficult to lure the game’s best to Manchester over cities such as Barcelona, Paris and London.
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There is a flip-side to such spending, though, and as Marcos Lopes, the Portugal Under-21 midfielder, became the latest academy talent to be jettisoned yesterday while another, Jason Denayer, the Belgium defender, was on the verge of completing a loan move to Galatasaray, it posed a familiar question — when will City’s best young talents be given an opportunity to stake a sustained claim for a first-team place?
Manuel Pellegrini, the City manager, was left red-faced yesterday when he suggested that Lopes was joining Monaco, on loan only for the club to announce on their website 45 minutes later that he had signed a permanent deal with the French club, who have paid £7.3 million for his services.
Pellegrini had claimed in his media conference before this afternoon’s match at home to Watford that he was certain “in the future [Lopes] will be part of our club”, but that it was “better for him to go on loan” this season given the competition for places.
The Chilean has seldom sounded convincing on the subject of promoting young players and this episode did little to dispel the suspicion that he is lukewarm about investing time and faith in academy hopefuls.
City will make a handsome profit on Lopes, who they signed from Benfica in 2011, but his departure is a surprise given that he had been touted as one of the academy’s best prospects for some time, only to become a victim of the club’s decision to sign Sterling and De Bruyne for a combined total of more than £100 million.
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The situation is little different with Denayer. Young Player of the Year in Scotland last season after an impressive loan spell with Celtic, the 20-year-old was working under the firm belief that he would be part of the first-team set-up this term, but the club suddenly signed Nicolás Otamendi, the Argentina defender, for £32 million from Valencia.
Jesse De Preter, Denayer’s agent, struggled to conceal his dismay at the situation and, as a consequence, a loan to Galatasaray was arranged.
Twelve months earlier, Karim Rekik, the Holland defender, had also hoped to be given a first-team chance with City after a successful loan spell with PSV Eindhoven. That hope soon faded when City signed Eliaquim Mangala, another young centre back, from Porto for £42 million. Rekik was sold to Marseilles in June.
Pellegrini yesterday talked up the prospects of Kelechi Ihenacho, the Nigeria Under-20 striker who has been drafted into the first-team squad as cover for Agüero, and the injured Wilfried Bony, but what is to say that his experience will be any different to that of Lopes, Denayer, Rekik or José Ángel Pozo, a Spain Under-19 forward who has been on the periphery for a while? What must Patrick Roberts, the England Under-19 forward signed last month from Fulham for a projected £11 million, think?
Some might argue that such scrutiny on City’s academy is harsh when other leading clubs are also struggling to produce their own, but how can it be when the club have sought, at every opportunity, to hammer home the importance of developing a production line of talent at their new £200 million training complex?
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City had to react after last season’s woes, but for how long will their budding youngsters remain on the outside looking in?
Limited opportunities
Marcos Lopes Signed from Benfica in 2011, the Portugal Under-21 attacking midfielder, who impressed on loan at Lille last season, has joined Monaco for £7.3 million after making only five appearances for City’s first team.
Jason Denayer Young Player of the Year in Scotland last season while on loan at Celtic, the Belgium defender was expected to stake a first-team claim this term, but the arrival of Nicolás Otamendi for £32 million from Valencia prompted a loan deal with Galatasaray to be arranged.
Karim Rekik The Holland centre half made three appearances in four years for City before joining Marseilles in June after loan spells with Portsmouth, Blackburn Rovers and PSV Eindhoven.