Manchester City have had some great strikers in recent times, along with some not so successful names too. When you think of the noteworthy hitmen of the Etihad in the past few years, the likes of Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko and certainly Sergio Aguero come to mind.
On the other hand, players like Emmanuel Adebayor, Jo, Roque Santa-Cruz, Mario Balotelli and Stevan Jovetic have not been at their best for the Sky Blues.
Ever since the 2009/10 season, City have arguably been a title contending team. This was only a year after the Abu Dhabi United group took over, which begs the question – ‘Can money buy you success?’ Apparently, not in all areas of the pitch. The Sky Blues are never too shy to splurge the cash when it comes to getting the players they want, but not necessarily the players they need. Outside90 club correspondent Rahul Dantes casts an eye over City’s up-front flops in the last few years.
Emmanuel Adebayor
City signed the Togo international from rivals Arsenal in 2009. He lasted only about one-and-a-half years at Eastlands, while failing to make any sort of impact during the time. Adebayor managed only 19 goals in his 45 appearances in Sky Blue colours. While he had a decent first season at City, scoring 14 league goals, he failed to keep his place in the team the next year. He was loaned to Real Madrid followed by a permanent switch to London club Tottenham Hotspur.
Craig Bellamy
Although Bellamy is not considered to be an out-and-out striker, the Welsh front-man can threaten defences with his explosive pace and strength. But he never really fitted into the City squad in 18 month spell at the club. Bellamy scored only 15 goals in 51 appearances, which would be a huge disappointment for the otherwise very talented player.
Craig Bellamy Goals! MCFC by Blu3army_1
Roque Santa Cruz
City also signed Santa Cruz from Blackburn Rovers in 2009. Santa Cruz could never recreate the form he showed at his time at Blackburn. The Paraguayan also lasted for a year-and-a-half after injuries and poor form kept him on the sidelines. The appointment of then manager, Roberto Mancini, left Santa Cruz struggling to find any game time, which saw him move back to Blackburn in January for the remainder of the 2010-11 season. He managed a very disappointing four goals in a meagre 24 appearances during his time at the Etihad.
Mario Balotelli
The eccentric Italian reunited with his former manager, Roberto Mancini, when he signed for the Sky Blues in 2010. Not necessarily a flop, Balotelli enjoyed two good seasons at Eastlands. He managed 27 goals in his first two campaigns, which comprised of 60 appearances. But, he started to make the headlines for all the wrong reasons, both on and off the pitch, proving to be more of nuisance than the quality player that he is. In his third and final season at City, Balotelli appeared 20 times, but only managed to score on three occasions. In January of 2012, he made a permanent move back to Italy with A.C Milan.
Jo
City signed the promising Brazilian striker Jo in 2008, yet he did not make any sort of impact at Eastlands and was loaned to Everton not more than six months after joining. He spent a year at Everton and was loaned out yet again, this time to Turkish giants, Galatasaray. Loan spells consisted of only 10 goals in the 50 appearances that he made, returning to City for what would be his final year at the club. In total, Jo managed a poor six goals in 38 appearances for City.
[interaction id=”55447106ca16d6d87fb4eda1″]
Stevan Jovetic
Another promising young striker, Stevan Jovetic signed for City at the start of last season. Although he won the Premier League title in his first season at the club, the striker’s season was plagued with injuries and he failed to make his presence felt in the squad. The current campaign has seen him struggle for form as well as a place in the starting XI, managing to make 39 appearances but only scoring 11 times since his arrival. The signing of Wilfried Bony this January also saw him omitted from the Champions League squad. Jovetic is likely to be one of the first to leave the Etihad in the coming transfer window.
City look set to end this campaign trophyless, which has prompted a major exodus in the transfer window to come. Dzeko, Jovetic and Alvaro Negredo are all likely to be gone before the start of next season. With Aguero battling injuries and Bony yet to settle at the Etihad, City need to look to sign a quality striker that suits their play, rather than just another expensive one.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
