Amr Obaid (Cairo)
Before the end of the remaining matches of the fourth round in the “Premier League”, Manchester City ensured that it is alone at the top of the standings, after achieving its fourth consecutive victory to maintain the lead with a “full mark”, 12 points, and if Arsenal and Newcastle win in the matches concluding the round, the “Blooms” will remain alone at the top with a difference of two points from both of them. The successes of the “Citizens” are not limited to this dazzling brilliance inside the football stadiums, but extend, thanks to the “Emirati management”, to include wonderful financial achievements, witnessed by the last “summer Mercato”, as well as previous seasons, where everything inside the “Sky Castle” turns into “gold”.
During the summer transfer market, Manchester City ranked first in the world in terms of generating positive financial balance, among first-class clubs in various leagues around the world, according to the financial data announced for player transfers during the “mercato”, and only Leeds United preceded it “in total”, but the latter is currently playing in the “Championship” and the amounts of its recent player transfers have not been clearly disclosed, and accordingly, “City” leads the scene with a total positive balance of 116 million euros, as the club spent only 25 million euros to buy the Brazilian Savinho, while selling some stars for 141 million euros.
Manchester City has been out of the top 50 clubs in the last transfer market, coming in 77th place with a spending of just £25 million. This has not affected its fantastic start to the new season at all, as the management of City Abu Dhabi, along with the philosopher Guardiola, understands the team’s requirements and needs, and the degree to which its ranks and benches are complete with a constellation of stars currently shining in the European football sky. City, which is leading the English Premier League early, with remarkable performance and results, has defeated the English clubs that spent the most in the “mercato”, Chelsea and Manchester United, at the opening of the “Premier League” and before that, won the “Charity Shield” match. It is 4 points behind Brighton, the second most spending club in the world this season, in the league, and has also defeated West Ham, ranked 11th in the list of heavy spending.
On the individual level, Manchester City sold its Argentine player and star, Julian Alvarez, to Atletico Madrid, as the most expensive transfer deal in the summer, worth 95 million euros, with 75 million and another 20 million as variables. Just two years ago, City obtained the services of Alvarez for 21.4 million euros, and sold him after that short period for more than 4 times the price he contracted with him, and his market value inside the “Sky Castle” jumped by an increase of 70 million. This summer, Joao Cancelo moved to Al Hilal Saudi Arabia for 25 million, in addition to 23 million from Southampton for its player Taylor Bellis, and 17 million euros from Ipswich Town for the young Liam Delap.
The latter two represent the investment success of Manchester City’s academy and youth teams, which was also evident last season, when they received 47 million euros for Cole Palmer’s transfer to Chelsea, as well as the transfer of Carlos Forbes to Ajax for 14 million, and the young goalkeeper James Trafford to Burnley for 17 million euros. The previous season witnessed the departure of Riyad Mahrez (32 years old at the time) to Al-Ahly of Saudi Arabia for 35 million euros, after the “Blooms” benefited from the Algerian star for 5 years, during which they won 11 titles together, which also applies to Aymeric Laporte, who moved to Al-Nasr for 27.5 million euros.
Looking at the major deals, whether coming or leaving the “City Castle”, the numbers reveal how the “Emirati touch” turns everything into “gold”, as the “Sky Blues” brought Raheem Sterling from Liverpool in 2015 for 63 million euros, only to sell him after 7 full years to Chelsea for 56 million, the same season that witnessed the departure of Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal for more than 52 million, after City had bought him for only 32 million 5 years ago, which applies to the Ukrainian Zinchenko, who accompanied Jesus for 35 million euros, knowing that City bought him for only 2.25 million 6 years ago.
If the marketing value of these stars has risen sharply within the “Castle of the Blue Moon”, the “current battalion” is following the same approach, as the “terrifying” striker Haaland currently has a “fantastic” marketing value of 180 million euros, which puts him at the top of the world, followed by his colleague Foden with 150 million, as well as Rodri with 130. City had acquired Haaland for only 60 million euros two years ago, while Foden grew up in the City Academy, and Rodri moved to the ranks of the “Sky Blues” for 70 million in 2019. If it were not for the desire of the administration and Pep to keep the “maestro” Kevin De Bruyne, the Belgian would have left in a “huge” deal, which rumors estimated last summer at 100 million euros.
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