10 best Manchester City signings since 2008 takeover
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Manchester City’s future trajectory changed forever in 2008 when Sheikh Monsour purchased the club.
The takeover altered the future of the club, with the Cityzens winning four of the last five Premier League titles, only being beaten by Liverpool during the 2019/20 campaign.
Ahead of their Premier League clash with Newcastle United next weekend on January 13, another club of the world’s richest clubs, Ladbrokes takes a look at the ten best signings made by Man City since their takeover in 2008.
Man City’s best signings since 2008 takeover ranked
10. Raheem Sterling
Now at Chelsea, Sterling moved to Man City from Liverpool following the 2014/15 season, and went on to become one of the league’s best wingers, and one of the most decorated in history too.
The Englishman scored just six goals and two assists in his first season for the club, but once Pep Guardiola took over the managerial hot seat and begun working with Sterling, he became a much better player.
Sterling ended up playing a vital part in Man City’s successes domestically, and while he left the season his former side won the Champions League for the first time, there’s no doubt that he will go down as one of the best players the club bought following their big-money takeover in 2008.
9. Fernandinho
The brilliance of Rodri at the base of Man City’s midfield has led to many overlooking just how vital Fernandinho, the man who came before him, was to Pep Guardiola.
The Brazilian was a vital cog in the City machine during his near-decade at the club, providing vital defensive stability to balance out the attacking brilliance that the side had to offer.
A leader on and off the pitch too, Fernandinho’s £34 million move from Shakhtar will go down as one of the best pieces of business done by City’s ownership since their takeover over 15 years ago.
8. Pablo Zabaleta
Whilst not signed for big money like Fernandinho, Sterling and some of the other names that are to come on this list, Zabaleta was still a vital part of Man City’s dominant side.
Zabaleta joined right at the beginning of the takeover in 2008, signing for just £6.5m from Espanyol in Spain, providing valuable cover and competition at full-back. He ended up playing over 300 games for the club, winning several trophies along the way, and establishing himself as one of the best right-backs the league has ever seen.
Not one of the best signings City have made over the last 15 days, the small fee that it cost to bring Zalabeta to Manchester makes his signing one of the smartest the club has managed to pull off.
7. Rodri
Arguably the best player in his position right now, Rodri is so vital to the way Manchester City play, and that’s been clear for all to see this season.
After his red card against Nottingham Forest earlier on in the campaign, City failed to win any of the three domestic games that followed. First, City were knocked out of the Carabao Cup against Newcastle, which was followed by back-to-back defeats in the Premier League at the hands of Wolves and then title rivals Arsenal.
Rodri is not only a defensive powerhouse, but also an attack threat for his side too. The Spainard has contributed with several important goals for City since signing from Atletico Madrid, including the winner in the Champions League final in June against Inter Milan in Istanbul, handing City the treble.
His importance to City’s side, as well as the drop off in quality compared to anyone else who can play in his position, mean he’s s shoe-in for the top ten on this list.
6. Erling Haaland
Only ranked this low because he’s not yet been at the club for two full seasons, but it’s hard to look past Erling Haaland as one of the best signings of the post-Takeover era for City, with transfer fee now even being considered by many to be a bargain.
The striker shattered the goalscoring record in his first attempt last season, scoring 36 goals in 36 games to help City win the title. He also popped up with vital performances in the Champions League and FA Cup that year too, helping Guardiola win his first treble in English football to date.
He may end up going down as the best goal scorer English football has ever seen, if he isn’t lured away by the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona, and will undoubetdly end up higher up on this list when his time with the Cityzens comes to an end.
5. Vincent Kompany
The man who single-handedly won Manchester City the Premier League title, snatching it from the hands’ of Liverpool, in 2019 with one of the best goals the division has ever seen against Leicester City…
One of the first signings after the takeover, Kompany was brought in as a midfielder before being moved to center-back, a position where he’s now regarded as one of the best in Premier League history.
Kompany led City to numerous titles as captain, allowing them to dominate domestic football, something that no one would have expected when he joined the club from Hamburg in Germany.
4. Yaya Toure
Responsible for arguably the best individual season from a player in Premier League history, with his 20 goals and nine assists from midfield during the 2013/14 campaign, Yaya Toure truly is one of the greatest to wear the City shirt.
Brought from Barcelona, where he played most of his games as a defender, Yaya was transformed into a powerhouse midfielder, able to break up play with his long legs, or start attacks with his fantastic range of passing, tremendous eye for goal or trademark runs through the middle of the pitch.
Toure might not have won the Champions League with City, like some of the other names on this list managed to do, but he was a key cog in the City side that dominated the domestic game for years, and still continue to do so, even now that he’s gone.
3. David Silva
A true magician, David Silva made football a joy to watch, even for those who don’t support Man City.
Silva’s ability to unlock defences with beautiful passes and touches make him stand out as one of the greatest players to ever wear the baby blue shirt, and he’s undoubtedly one of the better signings the board has made since the takeover.
2. Sergio Aguero
Aguero once pledged that he wouldn’t leave Manchester City until they won the Champions League, but his final game for the club unforutnately came during the club’s first UCL final, which they lost 1-0 to Chelsea.
That summer, Sergio left Manchester on a free transfer, opting to join Barcelona. Things unfortunately didn’t work out for him there, and he was forced to hang up his boots and retire after just a few months.
Aguero then had to watch from the sidelines as his beloved City side, two years after his exit, became Champions League winners for the first time, defeating Inter Milan in July 2022.
The striker might not have won the Champions League with City, something he desperately wanted to do, but he had his fair share of iconic moments in the league, becoming one of the division’s most decorated strikers of all time.
That moment against QPR in 2012, where he won City their first Premier League title on the final day of the season, when it seemed like honor would go to arch rivals Manchester United, will always live in the hearts of fans, and makes him one of the board’s best signings after the takeover, without a doubt.
1. Kevin De Bruyne
As for City’s best signing following the takeover, and arguably their best player of the 21st century, it’s hard to look past Kevin De Bruyne.
The man who strikes fear into the hearts of opposition managers, players and fans, KDB is one of the best of all-time in the Premier League, that goes without saying.
Many scoffed when City shelled out over £50m to bring him back to England from Wolfsburg, but considering how well he’s played since then and what he’s gone on to win, it turned out to be a bargain.
De Bruyne, who turns 33 later this year, has been out of action since August, but is now set to return to the squad for the remainder of the 2023/24 season, where he hopes to win the Premier League title once again.
Despite currently being five points off Liverpool, who sit in first place, Ladbrokes currently has Man City as the favourites to win the Premier League come May 2024 at the price of 8/11.
If De Bruyne is able to remain fit, it’s hard to look past City at that price, with many feeling the gap between them and Liverpool, priced at 9/4, isn’t big enough for the Cityzens to be considered out of the title race yet.
All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication
