Manchester City Transfer Rumours: 5 Players Who Will Help Man City Win the EPL

Manchester City look set to spend big again this summer in the transfer window as they try to go all out for Premier League glory.

The Eastlands club have of course been linked with a whole squad of players and are said to be doing battle with Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and all other top teams for the best talent around.

While Man City won the FA Cup and gained automatic UEFA Champions League qualification last season, the board will recognise there are still a few areas which need to be strengthened.

So with that in mind, here are five players who, if signed this summer, would help make Manchester City the 2011/12 Premier League champions.   

Leighton Baines

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LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - APRIL 16: Leighton Baines of Everton scores the second goal from the penalty spot during the Barclays Premier League match between Everton and Blackburn Rovers at Goodison Park on April 16, 2011 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Cli

The best emerging left-back in the Premier League last season, Everton star Leighton Baines could be the man to fill something of a problem position for Manchester City.

Aleksandar Kolarov hasn't lived up to the billing following his £16 million move from Lazio last summer, while Pablo Zabaleta is more of a stop-gap option and hasn't been hugely impressive.

City need an assist-making left-back to help create more goals, with the Sky Blues having scored 18 fewer goals than current league champions Manchester United.

And with Baines having made 11 assists in the league last season, compared to just two made by Kolarov and Zabaleta combined, the Everton ace is the man City need on the left side of defence.

Javier Pastore

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PARMA, ITALY - MAY 01: Javier Matias Pastore of US Citta di Palermo turns Rolf Gunther Feltscher Martinez of Parma FC during the Serie A match between Parma FC and US Citta di Palermo at Stadio Ennio Tardini on May 1, 2011 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Val

The main thing lacking in the Manchester City line-up at the moment is the presence of a trequartista—a playmaker who can make many assists, score several goals and give the Eastlands club a more attacking presence.

Palermo superstar Javier Pastore, 21, is that man. Having scored 11 goals and made five assists this season, as well as having made 76 key passes, the Argentina international is the perfect player to complete the Man City midfield.

With City having the best defence in the Premier League last season and a goalkeeper in Joe Hart who had the highest saves to shot ratio in the league, manager Roberto Mancini can afford to have a three-man midfield with just one holding midfielder, with a possible trequartista being supplemented by box-to-box midfielder Yaya Toure. 

Samuel Eto'o

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ROME, ITALY - MAY 29: Samuel Eto'o of Inter Milan scores the second goal during the Tim Cup final between FC Internazionale Milano and US Citta di Palermo at Olimpico Stadium on May 29, 2011 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

As the departures of Emmanuel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz, Jo, Felipe Caicedo and Craig Bellamy are all seemingly inevitable, Manchester City will need to dip into the market for a new striker, especially considering the future of Carlos Tevez is also in doubt.

And the perfect man to give the City front-line more goals, top class experience and an infectious winning mentality is Inter Milan forward Samuel Eto'o.

The Cameroon international, who scored 37 goals last season, has admitted he would consider a move to the Premier League this summer.

Should the idea of a move to Manchester City appeal to Eto'o, there is no doubting the 21-goal Serie A striker would be a success in the Premier League, adding goals to the team and quite possibly helping Man City win the title.  

Javi Martinez

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BARCELONA, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 20: Andres Inieta of FC Barcelona (R) fights for the ball against Javi Martinez of Athletic Bilbao during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao at Camp Nou on February 20, 2011 in Barcelona, Spain. Barcelo

Emerging as one of the best holding midfielders in world football, Atletico Bilbao star Javi Martinez is another top player who would add a new dimension to the Manchester City midfield.

The Spain U-21 captain, who has been capped at senior level, is a player with the strength and tackling ability to be a success in the Premier League and help preserve the team's strong defensive record, while he has the typical Spanish finesse when on the ball.

While Nigel De Jong is forever proving his indispensability to Man City, his holding midfield partner Gareth Barry hasn't hit top form and lacks both the tough tackling nature of De Jong, and the controlled ball-playing style of Martinez.

If Roberto Mancini decides to continue with employing a "double pivot" (two holding midfielders) in front of the defence, a midfield duo of Nigel De Jong and Javi Martinez could well lead City to possible Premier League glory. 

Alexis Sanchez

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UDINE, ITALY - APRIL 23: Alexis Sanchez of Udinese Calcio fights for the ball with Francesco Valiani of Parma FC during the Serie A match between Udinese Calcio and Parma FC at Stadio Friuli on April 23, 2011 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/

A long-term target for Manchester City, Udinese and Chile wonderkid Alexis Sanchez would be the perfect player to inject pace, power and goals to the City wings.

Likened to Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, Sanchez scored 12 goals and made six assists in Serie A last season, and would give the Man City attacking line three things it considerably lacked last season—consistency, creativity and goals.

Having scored more goals in a much tougher league, defensively, than both Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko combined, Sanchez is a man manager Roberto Mancini could really do with if he wants to mount a serious challenge at winning the Premier League in the 2011/12 season.