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City clear-out as Hart, Bony & Nasri depart
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MANCHESTER City’s clear-out after an offseason of heavy spending was in full flow yesterday, with Joe Hart, Wilfried Bony and Samir Nasri sent out on loan as new coach Pep Guardiola attempted to streamline his squad on the final day of transfer window.
Hart, the England goalkeeper, was loaned to Italian club Torino for the rest of the season after dropping to third choice at City behind new signing Claudio Bravo and Willy Caballero under Guardiola. In announcing Hart’s departure after 10 years at the Etihad Stadium, City said he was a “key figure in a golden age in the club’s history”.
Bony, who hasn’t played a minute for City since Guardiola’s arrival, has joined Stoke for the remainder of the season. The Ivory Coast striker’s career has stalled after joining from Swansea for 28 million pounds (US$36.6 million) in January 2015, with a combination of international call-ups, injuries, illness and poor form preventing him from establishing himself at City.
“Bringing Wilfried in was a no-brainer for us to be perfectly honest, because he knows the Premier League and has scored plenty of goals at this level,” said Stoke manager Mark Hughes, referring to Bony’s record of scoring 130 goals in 278 career appearances. “Eighteen months ago he was being bought for a hugely significant amount of money, so we know that we are bringing in a top quality striker.”
Nasri was the third player to leave on loan, with the Frenchman heading to Spanish club Sevilla for the season. Guardiola said Nasri returned for preseason training “overweight” and played him only once in City’s first five games, as a substitute against West Ham on Sunday.
France center back Eliaquim Mangala could also leave City on deadline day.
Guardiola has overseen the spending of more than US$200 million on new players since taking over as coach this offseason, and has been looking to trim his 30-man squad.
Gabon midfielder Didier Ndong joined Sunderland from French side Lorient for 16 million euros (US$17.8 million), the seventh signing by new manager David Moyes.
Spending by Premier League clubs has broken through the 1-billion pound barrier in one window for the first time.
Mario Balotelli, Moussa Sissoko and Jack Wilshere were among the other players reportedly set for pastures new.
Balotelli, Liverpool’s wayward Italian striker, was on the verge of joining French club Nice on a season-long loan, having spent last season on loan at former club AC Milan.
Newcastle United midfielder Sissoko, 27, was given permission to leave France’s Clairefontaine training base in order to complete a transfer.
Newcastle, relegated from the Premier League last season, was reported to have rebuffed an initial 16-million pound bid for Sissoko from Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal midfielder Wilshere, 24, was reportedly mulling over loan offers from Bournemouth and Crystal Palace after slipping down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal spent around 50 million pounds on Tuesday to sign German defender Shkodran Mustafi from Valencia and Spanish striker Lucas Perez from Deportivo La Coruna.
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