Manchester City: 6 Players Who Might Be on Their Way in January
Manchester City have assembled the most expensive squad in Premiership history and manager Roberto Mancini has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal.
As a result a number of expensive signings have found themselves on the sidelines and are likely to want to move elsewhere when the transfer window opens in January.
Whether Mancini will want to sanction too many departures with his side still in the title hunt remains to be seen but he will struggle to persuade some of the more peripheral figures at the club that they still have a future at Eastlands.
Emmanuel Adebayor
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Emmanuel Adebayor has already gone on record as saying he wants to leave in January and first team coach David Platt has acknowledged that this is a possibility.
However Adebayor's recent claim that he was on the verge of a loan move to Juventus appears to be entirely unsubstantiated. Under new regulations Italian clubs are only allowed to sign one non EU player per season and Juventus signed Milan Krasic in the summer.
The temperamental Togolese striker has already forced through moves from Monaco and Arsenal and it is unlikely that Manchester City will be able to keep him against his wishes.
It is also unlikely that they will be able to recoup anything close to their initial investment of £25 million or find a club willing to match Adebayor's rumoured £150,000 a week wages.
However there will be no shortage of continental suitors for Adebayor with Manchester City unlikely to allow him to join a Premeirship rival.
Possible destinations:
Inter Milan
Real Madrid
Roma
Lyon
Marseille
Roque Santa Cruz
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Roque Santa Cruz has barely got a look in this season and is not even a regular on the Manchester City substitutes bench. A Janaury move seems inevitable although Mancini might be reluctant to sanction the departure of more than one of his strikers.
The club has absolutely no hope of recouping the £17.5 million spent on the player and will either be forced to sell him at a substantial discount or allow him to leave on loan.
There will be plenty of interest from Premiership clubs in a player who has an excellent scoring record in England. Manchester City has a policy of not loaning out players to rival clubs but the Paraguayuan would probably be allowed to join a mid table team with manager Mark Hughes keen to sign him for the third time at Fulham.
Possible destinations:
Fulham
Blackburn
Aston Villa
Everton
Shay Given
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Shay Given is known to be extremely unhappy with his role as the best reserve goalkeeper in the world. The Irish international has barely got a look in this season with Joe Hart preferred to him in every single competition.
At the age of 34 he will not want to spend the rest of the season on the Manchester City bench and hopes to be allowed to leave in January. Mancini might be reluctant to let him go, particularly with the club still in the Europa League, unless he can secure an adequate replacement.
Due to his age he would be unlikely to command a substantial fee and a permanent transfer is a possibility. Fulham were known to be interested but are unlikely to move for Given unless Arsenal rekindle their interest in Mark Schwarzer.
Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni has already recommended Given to a handful of Italian clubs and a move to Serie A is a possibility.
Possible destinations:
Celtic
Roma
Newcastle
Fulham
Wayne Bridge
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Wayne Bridge was on the Manchester City side at the start of the season but a series of poor performances and the return from injury of a number of defenders has seen him marginalized.
He is believed to be making around £90,000 per week but has been told that he has no future at Eastlands. The fee for the 30 year old full back would probably not be exorbitant but there is not another club in the world who would match his wages.
If Bridge does decide to leave permanently he will need to take a substantial wage cut, something he might well be reluctant to do. A loan with Manchester City subsidizing his salary is a possibility although clubs are unlikely to be falling over themselves to sign the out of favour England international.
Possible destinations:
West Ham
Birmingham
Bolton
Stoke
Fulham
Sunderland
Shaun Wright-Phillips
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Shaun Wright-Phillips supposedly feels that he is worth £100,000 a week and is known to be unhappy with his current £60,000 a week contract.
Given that Wright-Phillips seldom, if ever, starts a game there seems to be little point in Manchester City retaining his services any longer than they absolutely have to. With his pace and willingness to run at defenders he would be an asset for almost any Premiership squad and will not struggle to find a new team.
He has already had one unsuccessful spell away from Manchester City with Chelsea but will probably have to set his sights a bit lower if he is to leave his boyhood club for a second time in January.
A permanent transfer is a possibility as, by Chelsea standards, Wright-Phillips' wages are not too high and his value is diminishing with every match he misses.
Possible destinations:
Newcastle United
Aston VIlla
Fulham
Everton
Michael Johnson
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Michael Johnson is already 22 but injuries have restricted him to just 37 first team appearances. He was rated extremely high but the influx of midfielders means that, even if fully fit, Johnson is unlikely to get game for the first team.
The fact that he has been available for selection all season might encourage clubs to give Johnson the opportunity to rehabilitate his career. Newcastle United tried to sign him a couple of seasons ago and might be tempted to rekindle their interest, although with Dan Gosling returning to fitness they are not short of central midfielders.
Given Johnson's potential and the fact that he is unlikely to command a particularly high fee a number of Premiership clubs will probably be willing to take a punt on him.
Possible Destinations:
Newcastle
Everton
Aston Villa
Fulham
West Ham
