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City chief insists spending sprees are over

Manchester City spent big in the summer © Getty Images

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Manchester City's chief football administrator Brian Marwood insists this summer's lavish spending spree will be the club's last.

City spent over £100 million in bringing in Jerome Boateng, David Silva, Yaya Toure, Aleksandar Kolarov, Mario Balotelli and James Milner in the transfer window. The outlay takes Sheikh Mansour's total spend, mostly on transfer fees and wages, to £500 million since his takeover in 2008.

City recently announced financial losses of £121 million for the year and while that is apparently not a problem for Mansour, it is not sustainable if City want to meet UEFA's new financial regulations and play in the Champions League from next season.

UEFA's new rules are an attempt to curb the massive spending that is crippling football clubs across Europe. Clubs will be allowed to lose no more than €45 million (£39 million) for the next three seasons and must then break even to be allowed entry into the continent's most high profile and lucrative competition.

There has been much doubt expressed that Champions League-chasing City would meet those requirements but Marwood claims the club are now happy with the squad they have assembled and will not be making such huge outlays in the future.

"This club has gone from 10th in the Premier League two seasons ago to just missing out on qualifying for the Champions League last season, and now including players with the quality of Yaya Toure and David Silva. We've kind of crammed 10 years' work into 12 to 18 months. Now the intensity of signing players is levelling off, allowing this group to develop." Marwood told the Guardian.

"We have fast-tracked a lot; we need to put the structure in place. We talk about elite development, the academy, because that is the foundation. That is the future for Manchester City."

Marwood believes the lavish spending has left City with a young, deep squad that will need only minor tinkering for years to come.

"We sat down with Roberto Mancini in February-March and planned our summer programme," he said. "The people here were on the list. There is a balanced strategy. English players and young players. Other than Yaya they are all young developing players."

Toure, who joined from Barcelona, is in the mould of another City player, the ageing Patrick Vieira, who joined in the previous transfer window. Together, they are the only exceptions to a policy of buying young rising stars.

"The feeling was we needed players of presence, quality, with a winning mentality to bring that culture to the club," Marwood said. "Patrick and Yaya have that. Micah [Richards] for example, is an emerging young player. To have him alongside Patrick, Yaya, Kolo [Toure] every day, in the changing room, on the pitch, is invaluable."

But the controversy over Yaya Toure's signing was not the 27-year-old's age but the reported £220,000-a-week salary handed to the ex-Barcelona man. Marwood insists he is value for money.

"Yaya can play centre-midfield, centre-half, attacking midfield, defensive midfield, he's a quality player. When we knew he was available, it was a no-brainer."

He added: "Everybody has become obsessed with what footballers are earning. We are comfortable where we are."

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