Manchester City manager, Roberto Mancini has admitted that his club can no longer afford to pay gigantic transfer fees or wages as UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations come into effect. The Eastlanders, despite having earned the nickname of “Moneybags”, have not made any signings this summer. And while that seems likely to change soon, with Gael Clichy almost certain to sign, having been spotted in Manchester recently, Mancini insists that his club will have to conduct sensible business. And with fresh reports linking Manchester United to German star Bastian Schweinsteiger, Samir Nasri also seems headed the way of the Italian manager’s club.
Man City can no longer splash the cash: Roberto Mancini
Next season sees the start of a three-year period in which clubs must not post more than 45m Euro (£40.5m) aggregate losses. From 2014 the permitted amount of losses decreases again, and failure to comply could mean exclusion from the Champions League from that time onward. With a current loss of around £121m and with high wage earners such as Roque Santa Cruz, Craig Bellamy, Emmanuel Adebayor, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Wayne Bridge and Shay Given still sitting on the bench, but being highly unlikely to feature very often in the first team, Mancini might very well have to cut a few loose strings to avoid being on the wrong end of the Fair Play regulations. Mancini went on to say that they wouldn’t “do what everyone thinks we will and pay £10m more than other clubs” for transfer targets inspite of having been rumoured to have tried to outbid Barcelona for Udinese’s Alexis Sanchez. Mancini further added “Financial Fair Play is for everyone,” perhaps indicating that the riches of Man City’s owner, Sheikh Mansour, would no longer be as big a factor in influencing players to sign for the club as has been over the past couple of years.
With all the transfer speculation linking Nasri with a move to the Citizens, with Nasri himself being quoted as saying he wants to win silverware and that without titles under one’s belt, one couldn’t compete for the Ballond’or, Mancini firmly clarified that ultimately, he considers himself as the man responsible for all of the club’s transfer activity, ahead of the club’s board of directors as well as the owners.
“I am the ultimate authority,” Mancini said. “I participate in the life of the club and I organise the schedules for the players. I talk with agents and directors, as the first person they come to. Then, when a deal’s almost done, people from the administrative side become involved. I am fully involved, there is nobody above me, and that is obviously a new thing, but I work in a great club with extraordinary owners.”
All in all, with the Financial Fair Play regulations coming into effect, one can hope for a more even distribution of talent and a reduction in the inflated transfer fees of the present day transfer market.
Tags: Champions League, Fair Play Regulations, Man City, Manager, Manchester City, Roberto Mancini, Transfer Market, UEFA
