Why Manchester City Shouldn't Sell the Farm in Summer Transfer Window

With one of the biggest wage bills and the highest number of first team squad players in the Premier League, Manchester City could be set to offload some of their players this summer as Roberto Mancini streamlines his squad and prepares them to defend their new Premier League title.

Competing on four fronts this season, where City will aim to have more of an impact in the Champions League as well as the Premier League, will necessitate a certain calibre of player, one who is not easily found in abundance at many clubs throughout the world.

Filling the squad up therefore with average players, or those who do not figure in his first team plans, will not aid the club and could provide a false sense of squad depth.

Even so, should Mancini be looking at selling large numbers of his squad?

Here are five reasons why he should not.

Success Must Be Maintained, a Strong Squad Is Needed

Squad depth is important and necessary, even if Manchester City want a chance to win more major silverware next season.

Where City need to be careful is in thinking that having a lot of players simply means that the depth is good enough.

Were they to lose a central defender, for example, thinking that Stefan Savic provided them with enough depth to ride out the season in comfort might be a mistake, judging by his performances last season.

On the other hand, the four forwards currently at the club and in Mancini's plans—Tevez, Aguero, Dzeko and Balotelli—not only offer quality and depth but fantastic versatility.

Financially, They Don't Need to

Manchester City have a long-term growth plan, which includes winning an awful lot of trophies.

An FA Cup and a Premier League title in successive seasons are just the beginning of that.

The mega-bucks signings of the likes of David Silva, Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure not only prove that the owners and investors of the club were willing and wanting to spend big, but that they were also able to.

Something other owners of other clubs might want to consider before splashing out too lavishly.

City's wealth is not disappearing any time soon; they can afford to keep people at the club on big salaries and not worry about it, even if it is not the ideal sporting scenario.

Players Roberto Mancini Doesn't Want Should Raise Sufficient Funds

Manchester City will sell off some players this summer, of course. Such is the natural progression of any football side. There are some who have been involved in the first team over the past few seasons who may leave, and some who have been surplus to requirements for several years now.

Back in December 2011, Mancini claimed he would have to sell in order to buy, and while they may not be quite that hard up, they could certainly offload some players without reducing the squad quality.

Players including Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko have been linked with moves away, while Roque Santa Cruz, Emmanuel Adebayor and John Guidetti all spent last season out on loan and may be finally moved on permanently this summer.

Quality Is Available in the Market Without Breaking the Bank

It's not all about the big money buys though.

Some of City's best players cost them far less sums of money; the likes of Joe Hart and Vincent Kompany are integral first teamers, but cost only a fraction of the amount of others like Silva and Toure.

The scouting department, Roberto Mancini and others involved in the buying process have the responsibility of sorting out which players can enhance the squad without costing eight-figure sums.

Difficult, yes, but certainly do-able.

Even Fringe Players from City Could Strengthen Rivals

The other side of the coin for City selling players is, of course, that the first clubs who might become interested in any available players are those who have witnessed their ability first hand on multiple occasions—rival Premier League clubs.

Adam Johnson, James Milner, Micah Richards and plenty of others would attract major interest if Mancini made it be known that these players were available to be moved on from the Etihad Stadium.

In doing so, City would raise money and reduce the wage bill, but they would also strengthen their rivals and perhaps competitors for a top four spot or even those challenging for the Premier League trophy.

Ideally, City would love to sell their fringe players to foreign-based teams, but even then, top players could become rivals at Champions League chasing sides.

Quite simply, City need to sell only those who have no place or no future at the club, and integrate the rest into a squad system as well as is possible.

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