Man City Transfers: Greatest Needs by Position

Manchester City is coming off a great English Premier League season.  Having won the title for the first time in 44 years, the future looks bright for the blue half of Manchester.

When viewing City's roster, it is hard to imagine quite possibly how anyone could complain about this side of champions.  However, having won the EPL title and FA Cup in the past two seasons, expectations are high for success in Europe.  

Manchester City must fill some glaring holes to have any chance in the UEFA Champions League this upcoming season.

Left Back

Roberto Mancini added French fullback Gael Clichy to the squad last summer to bolster the left side of his defense.  

Clichy proved to be a better defensive option than the offensive minded Aleksandar Kolarov.  Mancini, for the most part, platooned these two defenders for the majority of the season.  

The sharing of time in 2011/2012 has left some sense of discontent in Kolarov.  He played backup to Clichy last season, and although he got his fair share of starts, he has hinted at looking elsewhere for first team football next season.

If Kolarov is to leave, Manchester City will have to fill this void at left back.  

Some possible transfer options for this position are:

Leighton Baines

Although he looks set to sign with Manchester United, wouldn't he look great for City? 

Jordi Alba

Alba may be looking to step into a bigger spotlight away from Valencia after an excellent Euro 2012.  

Adriano Correia Clar

This defender had the difficult task of filling in for Abidol last season.  With Abidol returning, there may not be room on Barcelona for both of them.

I'm confident that if this is an area Mancini chooses to fill, he will likely look to upgrade over Clichy, who while excellent defensively struggled to ever find a target with his crosses. 

Central Defence

I believe that a central defender is by far the greatest need for Manchester City heading into the new season.  Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott were a two-man wrecking machine last season.  However, as City fans saw, injury and suspension left Man City extremely vulnerable at the back.  

With Kolo Toure, struggling to find fitness and the class that has become expected of him, the bulk of the "filling in" was initially given to young Stefan Savic.  Savic did not impress last season, so much so that Micah Richards had to start several games in the center back position. 

This position is in desperate need of another body. 

Potential options include:

Martin Skrtel

This Liverpool defender has been linked with City for some time, however, recent reports are suggesting that he is not for sale. 

Mats Hummels Another familiar name with City fans, this young German defender would be an ideal, but potentially expensive option for Roberto Mancini.  However, I believe he could contest with Lescott for a starting role.  

Serdar Tasci

Another young German defender.  Tasci's agent has claimed reports of interest from both Manchester City and Tottenham. 

Fabricio Coloccini: This Argentinian defender would be my first choice to fill in at the back.  He has not only already proved he can be a great EPL defender, but he lead Newcastle to a very impressive finish this season.  

Daniel Agger: It seems as though one of these Liverpool back-men may be a Citizen before the summer is through.

Central Midfield

Alright, so this hole may seem selfish. Manchester City needs another center midfielder to take their squad to the next level.  

I'm going to use De Jong as the goat in this equation, De Jong is known for terrorizing the midfield with hard tackles that boarder on recklessness.  Nigel De Jong was not this last season, or in the Euro for that matter.  

The absence of De Jong's spark left very little in terms of depth for Mancini in the center of the park.  When De Jong is stripped of his tackling ability, he really offers very little to the team.  With only Gareth Barry and Yaya Toure left in this position, City needs to fill the void that De Jong has left.

Potential players who could fill this hole include:

Daniele de Rossi

De Rossi could be the midfielder that takes City to the next level.  He is nothing short of world class and is a natural leader.  de Rossi should be on City's transfer wishlist, however Roma is fighting to keep their man.  

Javi Martinez

This midfielder looks to have a high price tag, with interest from top Spanish clubs.

Radja Nainggolan

This Belgian footballer had a breakout year in Italy this past season and is gaining some interest from both Manchester clubs.

Conclusion

While the list for Manchester City's needs are often outweighed by their wants, these are three glaring holes in positions that are vital to success.  

If Manchester City is to repeat as champions or have a good showing in Champions League (depending on where they place their focus), then these areas simply have to be upgraded.  

Imagine this current City squad with de Rossi and Coloccini, they would be instant contenders for just about any trophy they chose to target.  

Here's to hoping these needs are filled, and the unnecessary wants are set aside.