Rumour Mill: Manchester City or Former Arsenal XI?

There are 2 rumours today floating around Eastlands and I can't see how this piece can be particularly long, in that both names get a big 'yes' from me....In the interests of being informative and interesting however I suppose I should go into a little bit of detail, lets take one of these at a time.  Firstly we might have an answer to the left back conundrum in French international Gael Clichy.


The flying left back is one of those players that is deceptively young, it feels as if he should be in his late 20s because of the fact he has been playing for what feels like eternity, but in fact he is only 25 so definitely no problems there.  It is clearly a position that we need to strengthen, and to be fair an area of the field where we have struggled for years, our defensive record from crosses is poor to say the least and I would wager that many of those crosses are coming from our left hand side.  I want Aleksandar Kolarov to work out but he just hasn't adapted to Premier League football as quickly as we would like and maybe a season rotating with a more experienced player will do him the world of good.

Of course we will be battling on an extra front next year, clearly it would be foolish to suggest that we have any real chance of winning the Champions League, but that doesn't mean we can't put in a decent showing.  Our squad is pretty light on experience of Europe's top competition but it is something that Clichy can provide by the bucket load and that is another real benefit.


He is quick, skillful, and useful in attacking areas, and whilst he may not be the best full back defensively, he is by no means one of the worst, and I personally think that makes him a more attractive proposition than say Leighton Baines.  The Everton defender is many peoples first choice, but I am slightly put off by the fact that it would cost over £20million to secure him, Clichy is rumoured to be available for £7million, surely that is better business?


The second possible signing I see as a lot less likely, but it would be one to really get excited about.  Samir Nasri has flattered to deceive at times during his Arsenal career, but in the last 18 months he has really started to show what he is capable of and I think he would be perfect for City.  Those lovely people at Talksport reckon that we are sniffing around and readying a bid of £20million, now before this gets dismissed out of hand, it is important to remember that the figure is slightly lower than what might be expected due to the fact he is in the last year of his contract.


There appears to be conjecture about the validity of this story, word on twitter originating from the Mirror claims that City 'sources' have confirmed interest in Clichy but denied we had made contact with Arsenal over a transfer for Nasri.  Clearly he would be a great addition to the squad, if he were to come in his link up play with Silva and the rest of the forward line could be a joy to behold, but just how likely is it?


Firstly there is rumoured to be strong interest from Manchester United and obviously that could present one or two problems, secondly is the ongoing Cesc Fabregas saga.  If, as expected, he moves to Barcelona over the next few days surely Arsene Wenger will do whatever he can to retain the former Marseille midfielder and offer him the wages that he is demanding to stay at the Emirates.

If I were a betting man I would say the signing of Clichy is highly likely, any move for Nasri though I just can't see at this point.  Since we withdrew from the Sanchez deal I think it might just be more rumour mongering from the tabloids, not that I wouldn't want him, I am just not sure I see it as being that likely, i'd love to be proved wrong though.....