Manchester City: Isco Miss, Cavani Pursuit Too Reminiscent of Van Persie Debacle

If those who cannot remember the past are in fact condemned to repeat it, Manchester City may have another unfulfilling season coming in 2013-14.

City watched helplessly as one of their prime targets, Isco, signed with Real Madrid (per The Guardian).

Isco had previously indicated a seemingly sincere desire to follow City's new boss, Manuel Pellegrini, to the blue side of Manchester.

"It's a fact that I already know Pellegrini. I know how he works and he has played a key role in my career," was the key quote from Isco in David Anderson's recent piece for The Mirror.

Or, you know, maybe not.

City's other must-have commodity this summer is Edinson Cavani, the Uruguayan striker whose departure from Napoli feels imminent but gets less so with each passing day with no deal.

Cavani is drawing fervent interest from no fewer than four of the world's biggest football clubs according to The Independent's Simon Johnson. 

In the Cavani sweepstakes, "Chelsea have competition from Manchester United and Manchester City...while Real Madrid are also in the hunt," wrote Johnson.

The latest Cavani news does not flatter City much, as it appears they are bringing a water pistol to a gunfight with their tepid effort to pry the striker away from Napoli.

The Daily Mail reported recently that, while City are the only club to have made an offer for Cavani, it fell far short of what is required.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis was not exactly gentle in his appraisal: "The only meeting I’ve had has been with Manchester City, but the offer was inadequate."

Oof.

These half-stepping efforts from City could be written off as strategic except for the club's all-too-recent transfer window blunderings.

City entered last summer with a shiny Premier League trophy on the mantel, significant Champions League dreams and a manager embarking on a lucrative five-year contract extension.

Then they signed Jack Rodwell, Javi Garcia, Scott Sinclair and Maicon for an aggregate sum that could easily have landed them Robin van Persie.

You know how that turned out. So does Roberto Mancini, City's erstwhile king.

To be fair, City's transfer efforts this summer have not been a complete bust.

Jesus Navas and Fernandinho are more than credible signings. Even if City stands pat, this trip to the window projects as an improvement over last year's debacle.

And before you point out what a find Matija Nastasic was last summer, remember that he only got a chance to play after City's back line was decimated by injury and ineffectiveness. City did not know what they had in Nastasic any more than you did.

So here are City, on the precipice of a watershed season with a new manager and a ton to prove, and they just cannot seem to fire the last bullet.

Acquiring Cavani, or Robert Lewandowski if you prefer (per The Mirror), would go a long way toward exorcising the wraiths of last summer's RVP mess.

Besides, there is still the issue of who is going to score goals at the Etihad this season.

Following the departure of Carlos Tevez, City is left with strikers Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko—both coming off indifferent seasons—to carry the scoring load.

It is all fine and well to have a great keeper, the stingiest defense in the Premier League and an eight-pack of world-class midfielders.

But until the Premier League institutes penalty kicks, winning a 0-0 match will still be really hard to do. Further, stacking the roster with gifted playmakers will only make things worse if nobody can get on the end of their passes and finish.

Manchester City does not need Cavani or Lewandowski any more than they needed Isco, not specifically anyway.

As long as they land one more prime talent (preferably a scorer), last summer's transfer window missteps can finally be consigned to history.