Posts Tagged ‘Manchester City’

The Premier League clubs’ chairmen have shot down a proposal which would have seen a playoff being played between fourth and fifth placed teams for the final Champions League slot. As per the current regulations, the top two finishers in the Premier League have direct qualification to the UCL while teams finishing third and fourth have to play qualifying rounds. The proposal mooted that the final Champions League spot be granted to the winner of the playoff which was to be played between the fourth and fifth placed teams in the League after the end of the season. The fortunes of the top three finishing teams were not to be affected.

The likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool were quick to voice their dissatisfaction over the suggestion. Other teams in the top half were considerate enough to give it a thought with Martin O’Neill describing it as “interesting” and one that “people might go for”.

Any change in the current format would have needed the approval of 14 of the 20 Premier League clubs. With the television deal in place for the next three years, any change would have reflected only after the current deal expired.

Also, the general consensus at the meeting was that the team finishing in fourth position after a gruelling season deserved to play in the Champions League. The congestion in the English football calendar did not help the change at all. Premier League bosses feared that this change would reduce the significance of the FA’s other tournaments especially the FA Cup. Why mend something that ain’t broken?

The transfer of McDonald Mariga from Parma to Inter Milan has been an interesting ride. The The 22 year old Kenyan defensive midfielder evoked a lot of interest from Italy and England. Tottenham and Manchester City were in pole position to sign the midfielder. Under their Italian boss Roberto Mancini, City moved quickly and tabled a €10 million for the player which was accepted by Parma.

Mariga had the option of signing for Italian League leaders Inter Milan but chose to come to the lucrative Barclays Premier League with Manchester City. City agreed personal terms with the player and he passed the medical at Eastlands only to have his work-permit application rejected.

After having his dream move to City blown to smithereens, he didn’t waste any time in talking to officials at Inter Milan. The move to Inter which was secondary when City were in the fray suddenly gained huge importance with the clock ticking towards the transfer deadline. With Inter having sold Mancini to their cross town rivals AC Milan, Mariga was seen as an apt replacement. Mariga signed a four and a half year contract with Jose Mourinho’s side.

Under this backdrop, his decision to choose City over Inter could have been financially motivated. That he did not choose to wait for six months at Parma to try and join City in the summer tempts one to think if he really wanted to further his career prospects in England. But Inter nonetheless are a big club and Mariga’s star will rise if he performs consistently for the Bianconeri.

Manchester City have stepped up their efforts to sign Kenyan defensive midfielder McDonald Mariga from Italian giants Parma. Roberto Mancini’s side have bid €10 million for McDonald and it has been accepted by the Italian club. Manchester City are in the process of rushing the work permit application so that they player could complete the impending transfer before the January deadline.

The 22 year old who has 26 caps for Kenya against his name also generated interest from Italian champions Inter Milan. But City swooped quickly to sign him ahead of Jose Mourinho. Parma wanted the permanent signing of Valeri Bojinov as part of the Mariga deal. The Bulgarian striker is currently on loan at Parma from Manchester City. But City are reluctant to let go of Bojinov. Mariga will become Mancini’s second signing for City after Patrick Vieira.

Manchester City are also stepping up the chase for Boro winger Adam Johnson. City’s £5m offer was turned down by the Riverside club and Johnson was refused permission to speak to City. The authorities at the Championship club believe that the club would get a higher fee from the tribunal’s decision when Johnson leaves on a free at the end of the current season when his contract expires.