Manchester City: 10 Players Who Made the Right & Wrong Choices In Signing
Manchester City have made plenty of signings in the last few seasons.
Some have been world beaters, brought in to wow the fans and improve the team. Some have been, in all honesty, a complete waste of money.
When it comes to Manchester City, every transfer is inflated, making the good signings seem strokes of genius. Yet, the flops seem like the worst move in history.
This article contains five players who made the wrong choice in joining City followed by five players who made the right choice.
Feel free to share your thoughts on my list or any players not included and I hope you enjoy the show!
Wrong: Stuart Taylor
1 of 10I'm not certain why Stuart Taylor joined Manchester City.
He struggled to make the breakthrough at Arsenal and moved onto Aston Villa.
He was second and even third choice yet again in claret and blue and after making just a handful of appearances. He moved on again to current club Manchester City.
The question is why has he made the moves in his career that he has done? He is a very capable goalkeeper.
His performances for Aston Villa, when called upon, were solid and the fans were confident in his ability.
It was a mistake to try Manchester City, a better club than Aston Villa, when they already had Shay Given and Joe Hart amongst the ranks.
Wrong: Roque Santa Cruz
2 of 10Roque Santa Cruz endured terrible injury problems whilst making his name at Blackburn Rovers.
The only reason he really got back into the team was his pedigree combined with the lack of other quality strikers in the squad.
Moving to Manchester City to compete against Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy was a mistake.
City had no burning desire to rush him back to action and his fitness was never fully restored.
They still haven't managed to shift him and he's on loan at Real Betis right now.
Wrong: Robinho
3 of 10Robinho was an absolutely massive signing for Manchester City.
The celebrated arrival of the Brazilian super star from Real Madrid created a feel good factor around the club.
It created a feeling that was only increased when he scored a stunning free-kick on his debut.
But it all went sour for Robinho in the end. He didn't take to the English game and he was sulking frequently on and off the pitch.
Wrong: Jerome Boateng
4 of 10Jerome Boateng, signed from Hamburg for around £10 million, had the potential to Manchester City's very own elite version of John O'Shea.
In the end he was a victim of his own versatility.
He was unable to break into the Manchester City team at centre-back, the position he preferred playing in.
He managed to force through a move to Bayern Munich this summer.
City recouped most of the money they paid for him, but he's missed a vital years experience in his development.
He's a regular at central defence for Bayern Munich with enhanced chances of featuring for the German national team.
Objective achieved for Jerome Boateng—but a year later than when he would have hoped.
Wrong: Jo
5 of 10Jo represents an £18 million disaster that actually precedes the oil-rich takeover most expensive flops are attributed to.
The once club record signing arrived from CSKA Moscow boasting an excellent goal scoring record, but failed to produce for City.
He made less than 30 appearances for the Blues and scored one single goal.
He moved on loan to Everton and played quite well but didn't earn a permanent deal. He now plies his trade with Brazilian club Internacional.
Right: James Milner
6 of 10James Milner moved for a pretty expensive fee to Manchester City from Aston Villa in 2010, in a transfer which meant fans favourite Stephen Ireland would go the other way.
The English midfielder initially failed to make too much of an impact and spent most of his playing time out on the wing rather than in his preferred central position.
However, this season Roberto Mancini has utilised his large squad well and Milner has seen more playing time, including Champions League experience.
He has finally justified his move to Manchester City, although it took him longer than everyone thought would be necessary.
Right: Gareth Barry
7 of 10Another talent gleaned from Aston Villa, this transfer is one of City's best.
Gareth Barry is an excellent, if slightly underrated at times, midfield general.
He was a bargain at £12 million and now he's got an FA Cup winners medal sitting in his cabinet he has fully justified his move north too.
Aston Villa fans were perplexed as to why he would leave a club who seemed no better off at the time, but City have quickly risen to stardom.
Barry now plays the Champions League football he deserves.
Right: Patrick Viera
8 of 10A success for a different reason.
He was a cheap signing from Internazionale.
Patrick Viera managed to sign for a quality club in the twilight of his playing career, pick up a hefty weekly wage and then land a job at the club at the end of it.
He is currently a Football Development Executive for the Citizens, enabling him to continue his career at the club after making a few sporadic appearances over the course of a season and a half.
His usefulness in being a leader on the pitch has been translated into aiding the development of the club's young stars.
A good move for both parties.
Right: David Silva
9 of 10When David Silva, alongside David Villa and Juan Manuel Mata at Valencia, was tearing defences in La Liga apart, he was a good player.
Since joining Manchester City, he has become one of the best players in the world.
His trickery, his fluid play and his quick feet are simply sublime to watch and he made the right move joining City.
He has been able to propel himself onto the world stage and despite all this, he still struggles to get into the Spanish national team.
Spain are a lucky nation!
Right: Sergio Aguero
10 of 10Still in the infancy of what all City fans will hope is a long and successful career in Manchester, Sergio Aguero has wowed the English Premier League already.
There were doubts about the diminutive poacher's ability to settle into the English game, but he put those rumours to the sword and has already scored nine goals.
He looks capable of dealing with the pace and power of English football and the best is probably yet to come.
He will certainly be one of the worlds best strikers at this rate of progress. He's still only 23!
