Is Pellegrini the scapegoat for Txiki's Man City transfers?

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • as Manuel Pellegrini failed to inspire his players or has Txiki Begiristain failed to buy the right players for Man City?

    Manchester City’s loss to much-improved Liverpool at the start of March left them five points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea, having played an extra game. Their form since the turn of the year has virtually ended hopes of retaining their title. They also face elimination from the Champions League, having lost the first leg of their second round tie at home to Barcelona. Manuel Pellegrini, the Chilean manager at the helm for only his second season, is likely to be axed at the end of the campaign.

    It is clear that the club hierarchy expect a much better showing from City in the Champions League but Pellegrini’s side have also been unable to rise up to the challenge of defending their league title for the second time, just as during Roberto Mancini’s last season in charge. One argument, albeit a thus far muted one, in defence of Pellegrini is that the club’s sporting director, Txiki Begiristain, has failed to set the world alight with his transfers since coming into the role at the end of 2012.

    Begiristain’s mandate

    Begiristain’s arrival signalled the end of Mancini’s reign. The Basque was given the task of building a squad capable of creating a legacy domestically and taking City to the next level on the continent, after a few disappointing Champions League seasons under Mancini. During his reign, the Italian was not helped by City being un-seeded and grouped with some of Europe’s most impressive sides.

    Txiki Begiristain was responsible for some hugely successful signings at Barcelona.

    Begiristain had built his reputation at Barcelona between 2003 and 2010, during which time he oversaw approximately Dh2.25 billion (£400m) in transfer outlay. It included successful moves for Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o, Deco, Rafael Marquez, Thierry Henry, Dani Alves and Gerard Pique but also included extravagant failures in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was sold at a huge loss within one season (due to a fall-out with Pep Guardiola), Alex Hleb, Maxi Lopez, Keirrison, Henrique, Dimitry Chyrginskiy and Ricardo Quaresma – among others. Most of the money was spent on defenders and forwards with very little exposure in midfield due to the abundance of talent already present at Barcelona. However, Begiristain certainly had far more successful transfers than failed ones in Spain.

    According to the Transfermarkt.com, Begiristain has ratified transfer expenditure to the tune of almost Dh880 million (£156m) since taking up his role at Manchester City. In terms of departures, including the Mario Balotelli sale which took place in January 2013, the club has made approximately Dh286 million (£50.95m) under him. Overall, the club signed five players last season and followed that up with six more this season (exclusive of Frank Lampard’s ‘loan’).

    Have Begiristain’s transfers improved the side?

    In the summer of 2013, Manchester City spent Dh474 million (£84m) on signing Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho (Dh170m/£30m), Montenegrin captain Stevan Jovetic (Dh108m/£19m), Spaniards Alvaro Negredo and Jesus Navas (for a combined total of close to Dh186m/£33m from Sevilla), as well as Martin Demichelis for a cut-price (Dh20m/£3m). Other than Jovetic, all the signings were at least 27 years old, suggesting the club was banking on immediate success. Other than Fernandinho, none of them are currently established regulars in the City starting line-up. In fact, Negredo has departed the club on loan, while Jovetic has recently been left out of the side’s Champions League squad, hinting at an imminent departure.

    Last summer, Begiristain added Eliaquim Mangala for Dh169 million (£30m), seemingly as the answer to City’s central defensive problems, another Brazilian in Fernando for Dh62 million (£11m), former Malaga goalkeeper Willy Cabellero as competition for the shaky Joe Hart, and Bacary Sagna as reserve right-back. Lampard also joined the club. In early 2015, Swansea’s Wilfried signed for more than Dh124 million (£22m). None of the signings have yet to establish themselves as undisputed first choices.

    City’s Key Men

    Looking at Mancini’s strongest starting line-up and comparing it to Pellegrini’s current side, it becomes clear that at least nine players are similar. This includes the spine of the side such as Hart, Vincent Kompany, who has endured questionable form over the past 18 months, Pablo Zabaleta, Gael Clichy, a seemingly disillusioned Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri, David Silva and Edin Dzeko, who still remains the most convincing foil for star-man Sergio Aguero.

    Let’s not forget that most of the aforementioned players are either 30 or close to hitting that mark. So what has Begiristain’s Dh880 million (£156m) worth of transfers brought to City? Other than Fernandinho cementing his spot in the first team, it is debatable if any other player has improved the side. Younger players such as Matija Nastasic had done enough to warrant being given a longer opportunity to cement a spot in the side instead of being shipped out for a loss and replaced with another unproven expensive purchase such as Mangala. The same arguably applies to Jovetic among others. The club seem to have too little patience with players in their early-twenties.

    Could Begiristain have done better?

    Critics argue that City’s sporting director should have signed better players for the side’s first-team instead of signing an abundance of squad players. It is true that, as a squad, Manchester City is perhaps better placed today than two years ago. But it’s also true that Pellegrini’s starting line-up is not any better than Mancini’s. The Chilean won two titles in his first season in charge and has had to make do with some questionable signings that have failed to address a number of areas which needed strengthening. Supporters of Begiristain defend him by suggesting that City have been trying to operate within the frameworks of Financial Fair Play and that there were probably not that many better players available in the market.

    One could argue that any player that moved to a club other than Barcelona, Real Madrid and probably Bayern Munich would have had been fair game for Manchester City. In fact, that’s probably being kind to a club of City’s financial stature and aspirations. The list of players who could have strengthened their starting line-up, some at an outlay less than what City had spent on their choices, is vast.

    PLAYERS MAN CITY COULD HAVE SIGNED UNDER BEGIRISTAIN

    Player From To Cost (Dh) Cost (£)
    Jeremy Toulalan Malaga Monaco Free Free
    Kevin Strootman PSV Roma 68m 12m
    Edinson Cavani Napoli PSG 265m 47m
    Gonzalo Higuain Real Madrid Napoli 170m 30m
    Jose Callejon Real Madrid Napoli 40m 7m
    Keisuke Honda CSKA Moscow AC Milan Free Free
    Xherdan Shaqiri Bayern Munich Inter Milan 73m 13m
    Antoine Griezemann Real Sociedad Atletico Madrid 124m 22m
    Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang St Etienne Borussia Dortmund 62m 11m
    Mario Mandzukic Bayern Munich Atletico Madrid 90m 16m
    Daley Blind Ajax Manchester United 68m 12m
    Alexis Sanchez Barcelona Arsenal 152m 27m
    Ander Herrera Athletic Bilbao Manchestr United 147m 26m

    Similarly, a number of players whose transfers have not been successful to date, but on paper could have improved the City line-up, include Mesut Ozil and Angel Di Maria – who may yet prove to be excellent signings for their respective clubs. Question marks also exist over whether City could have competed better with sides such as Bayern, Real Madrid or Chelsea in the pursuit of the likes of Mario Gotze, Robert Lewandowski, Mehdi Benatia, Toni Kroos, Diego Costa or Cesc Fabregas among others. This is only taking into consideration the players who have been transferred in order to minimize the speculation around feasibility.

    Going forward, it’s clear that the club need to do a better job at the transfer game, whoever the manager in charge is next season. Not only does the side need strengthening but the likes of Yaya Toure will soon need to be replaced, making Begiristain’s task doubly difficult. It’s far more likely that the Spaniard will get a third shot at getting things right ahead of Pellegrini, who may pay the price for his colleague’s debatable choices in the transfer market. 

    Recommended