Michu? It should have been Hammer Bony
This mood has fallen with the speculation that there have been talks between ourselves and Swansea City over Michu – who on last season’s form and injury problems looks a risk too far.
Bony, wasn’t, and has gone on to prove, that he was possibly the buy of last summer and a player on whom we had closed a deal at around £8 million
He now has a £19 million buy-out clause in his contract and if we are to believe recent reports, virtually every top club is looking at him with bidding likely to start at around £22 million.
In his first City season he managed 16 goals in 34 games which compares with two from 16 for Andy Carroll who cost twice as much as the Ivory Coast hitman.
It would be very easy to start a blast against those involved in deciding that the deal shouldn’t have be done but we’ve been there a million times and a new rant is pointless.
It would also be unfair to Carroll who is now best judged at the end of this season.
However, and although it’s easy to be wise after event, to me, Bony at around £8 million was an absolute ‘steal’ – a deal that should have been done pronto.
It’s not giving very much away to explain that there are many inside the club who feel the same way and that this was just one reason why the board are now taking a much closer involvement in the transfer market.
Sam Allardyce made it clear at the beginning of the summer that he wanted two more strikers in the squad – one has arrived in Mauro Zarate, the second is still being hunted.
And it’s fair to say that if we fail to find another who can score goals at Premier League level it will be entirely justifiable to question our scouting abilities in this area of operation.
Having failed miserably with Modibo Maiga, failed to clinch a deal for Bony, and seen AC struggle with injury there’s enormous pressure on the manager to identify the right front man.
The board will know too that they need to close the right deal at the right price.
A goalscorer who can cover for, or play with Andy Carroll, will undoubtedly be the key signing of the summer – such a shame it wasn’t Wilfried Bony!