All the latest new, views and transfer rumours from the Etihad…
Manchester City’s chief executive Ferran Soriano has set the bar high for manager-in-waiting Manuel Pellegrini. It is strongly suspected that the current Malaga boss will take charge at the Etihad next season, but Soriano has said any incoming manager is expected to bring considerable long-term success to the club.
Soriano has said he hopes City win at least five trophies in the next five years. Although he then moved to reduce the pressure on any incoming appointment by stating his belief that success would not necessarily come at once.
“Next season is going to be much better,” he said. “It doesn’t mean we are going to win one or two titles, but if we look at the next five years and I could plan now, I would say I want to win five trophies in the next five years.”
If Pellegrini is the man to replace Roberto Mancini, he would have taken heart from City’s comeback in last night’s post-season friendly against Chelsea in St Louis.
The Europa League winners went 3-0 up with goals from Demba Ba, Cesar Azpilicueta and Oscar. But it was a score-line that flattered Chelsea, and City ultimately levelled with two goals from Eden Dzeko and one from Javi Garcia.
That seemed to be the end of the scoring, until Micah Richards tapped in an injury-time winner to give City a 4-3 win.
Anticipated by many as being a drab end-of-season affair, what ultimately unfolded was quite different. And fans and sponsors alike will hope the second in this two-match series proves just as exciting.
One man who failed to get on the score-sheet was City striker Sergio Aguero. And yet despite a poor season – curtailed in part by injury – the club have dismissed reports of his summer departure.
“We have never had an offer and even if we had an offer we would say no,” Soriano said.
Another player linked with a move away from Manchester is captain Vincent Kompany, with reports suggesting big-spending Monaco are prepared to offer £26million for his services.
It is an offer the Blues are ready to reject, and rightly so. Kompany is a vital part of their future, and he will hope to overcome the injury problems that have plagued the latter half of his campaign.
The Belgian defender played in last night’s match against Chelsea, and caretaker manager Brian Kidd spoke of the precautions taken last weekend.
“Vinny was obviously wanting to play the last game of the season but for one game it wasn’t worth the risk,” he said.
Kompany is a vital cog in the City machine. And while the talk for now is of players remaining, fans will hope that in the coming weeks that changes to reports of who will soon be joining them.
image: © Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
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