Since Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) took control at
Eastlands on September 1, City have been linked with the great and
good of global football. Robinho was snared for a British record
fee, while Mario Gomez, David Villa, Gianluigi Buffon, Kaka, Cesc
Fabregas and Fernando Torres have all been linked with a move to
the newly-monied outfit.
However, the club's manager is eager to rein-in expectations for
the January sales by insisting that City will sign those targets
that were already in place before the takeover, and not superstars
like the ones to which they have been linked.
He argued that the club should have a purpose that stretches
further than signing the best players in the world as he made the
point that more experience is needed in his side.
He told the Manchester Evening News: "All the stories linking us
with spending vast fortunes on the world's best players are
predictable and we try to nip them in the bud. But they keep on
persisting and it is something we have to deal with.
"We accept them because there is a lot of interest in the club and
people want to know and see who we will pursue and get through the
door.
"I keep telling everyone that we are trying to be realistic in the
targets we think we can get. There is no point chasing players we
have no chance of getting. Our acquisitions will be players we have
looked at and that we have researched and focused our attentions
on.
"We will not be flying off left, right and centre trying to sign
people. It will be done with thought and with purpose.
"Every football manager is in the market for good players should
they become available and should that be the case then City will be
in the forefront, but the trick is knowing when those players
become available and being able to clinch the deal."
He went on: "An older element would certainly help the team and its
development. We are good to watch, but we frustrate the fans
sometimes because we still do have frailties and I understand
that.
"Come January we will try to address those frailties, but along the
way we will still produce good football."