Since completing their takeover of Manchester City 10 years ago today, Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group has poured almost £1.3bn into player recruitment, creating a Premier League powerhouse through more than 70 first-team signings. Here, we review each one:
Season 2008-09
Manager Mark Hughes
Robinho (Real Madrid, £32.5m)
The deadline-day signing was a statement of intent but the Brazilian ultimately flopped on the pitch after a promising first season. Was sentenced to nine years in prison for rape in 2017. 4/10
Nigel de Jong (Hamburg, £17m)
One of a raft of sensible January signings to shore up a team flirting with relegation, the tough-tackling midfielder became a crowd favourite and ended up a title winner. 8/10
Craig Bellamy (West Ham, £14m)
After failing to land Kaká, City settled on the injury-prone Welsh winger. He proved to be a tireless, tenacious success, scoring a memorable double in the Manchester derby. 8/10
Wayne Bridge (Chelsea, £12m)
Best remembered for refusing to shake John Terry’s hand, the full-back became expensive dead wood. Overpriced, even by today’s standards. 3/10
Shay Given (Newcastle, £7m)
Past his prime but a dependable No 1 until Roberto Mancini handed Joe Hart the starting spot. 6/10
Gunnar Nielsen (Blackburn, free)
The Faroese keeper played 17 minutes at the Emirates after an injury to Given. 4/10
Honourable mentions:
Vincent Kompany (Hamburg, £6m)
Signed 10 days before the takeover and went on to become club captain and defensive linchpin. Kompany has lifted three titles and would walk into an all-time City XI. 10/10
Pablo Zabaleta (Espanyol, £7m)
Signed on the eve of the takeover and was not expected to last long. Instead, he won fans over with grit and guile and developed into one of the league’s best full-backs. 9/10
Season 2009-10
Managers Mark Hughes and Roberto Mancini
Carlos Tevez (West Ham, £25.5m)
Defected from Manchester United after two years on loan, prompting a provocative poster and Sir Alex Ferguson’s “noisy neighbours” retort. Tevez scored 52 goals in his first two seasons, but missed six months of his third after his relationship with Mancini imploded. Was he worth the hassle? Just about. 8/10
Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal, £25m)
His City tenure was defined by his goal celebration against Arsenal, running the length of the pitch to goad visiting fans. Scored 14 league goals in his first season, and one in his second. 5/10
Joleon Lescott (Everton, £22m)
The hefty price tag threatened to weigh Lescott down, but alongside Kompany he brought the required defensive steel. Won four trophies in five seasons. 8/10
Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn, £17m)
Hughes spent big on the forward despite concerns over his fitness. ‘Crocky’ struggled constantly with injuries and scored only four goals. 2/10
Kolo Touré (Arsenal, £15m)
A regular starter under Hughes and Mancini, Touré lost his place after a doping ban – the result of taking his wife’s water tablets, he claimed. 6/10
Gareth Barry (Aston Villa, £12m)
The Villa midfielder attracted scorn for leaving in search of Champions League football, but brought invaluable defensive nous as City began to challenge for the top four. 8/10
Sylvinho (Barcelona, free)
Came, saw, scored a decent goal in the FA Cup and then left. 5/10
Stuart Taylor (Aston Villa, free)
The club circumvented homegrown player quotas by letting Taylor warm their bench for three seasons. Made one FA Cup appearance. 4/10
Patrick Vieira (Internazionale, free)
Mancini’s first signing brought midfield depth and he was still a classy operator. 7/10
Adam Johnson (Middlesbrough, £8m)
Gets this mark for his inconsistent on-pitch performances. Now serving a prison sentence after pleading guilty to sexual activity with a minor. Best forgotten. 4/10
Marton Fulop (Sunderland, loan)
Sadly passed away in 2015, the goalkeeper was signed as an emergency loan. 5/10
Season 2010-11
Manager Roberto Mancini
Yaya Touré (Barcelona, £25m)
A defensive midfielder signed for big money, the Ivorian defied predictions he would flop. Reborn as an unplayable attacking menace, Touré saved his best for the biggest games, scoring winners in the 2011 FA Cup semi and final, and a double at Newcastle in the title run-in. Loses a mark for the sour note he left on. 9/10
David Silva (Valencia, £25m)
Recently voted Adug’s best signing, and perhaps the best player in City’s history. Silva has always done his talking on the pitch, marking a change in the team’s mentality, and remains its peerless creative heartbeat. 10/10
Mario Balotelli (Internazionale, £22.5m)
The box-office Italian delivered extreme highs (two goals in the 6-1; that assist to Agüero) and lows (red cards and constant rows with Mancini). Never fully realised his potential but some City fans would welcome him back. 7/10
Aleksandar Kolarov (Lazio, £19m)
Lasted seven years despite never quite mastering the art of defending. Could strike a mean free-kick. 5/10
James Milner (Aston Villa, £16m + Stephen Ireland)
The midfielder made over 200 appearances and won two titles, but never nailed down the starting place he craved. 7/10
Jérôme Boateng (Hamburg, £10.6m)
Looked unconvincing and was allowed to leave for Bayern after just one season. Fair to say he’s improved since. 5/10
Edin Dzeko (Wolfsburg, £33m)
The big Bosnian sometimes seemed out of step with his more technical teammates, but still averaged an impressive 16 goals a season. 8/10
Season 2011-12
Manager Roberto Mancini
Sergio Agüero (Atlético Madrid, £38m)
Some big-money signings are worth every penny. Agüero arrived for a club-record fee, scored twice on his debut and has barely stopped since. Has scored an absurd 204 goals in 296 appearances, including arguably the most famous goal in Premier League history. 10/10
Samir Nasri (Arsenal, £24m)
Nasri was never forgiven by Arsenal fans for joining a top-four rival, but can point to two Premier League titles won. Excelled under Manuel Pellegrini before injuries and inconsistency saw him fall out of favour. Now serving an 18-month doping ban. 7/10
Stefan Savic (Partizan, £6m)
The nervous centre-back even drew criticism from teammate Kolo Touré in his solitary year in England. Few foresaw he would go on to play in a Champions League final, in 2016 for Atlético Madrid. 3/10
Gaël Clichy (Arsenal, £7m)
Another signing from Arsenal, the full-back was prone to lapses of concentration but proved decent value. 7/10
Costel Pantilimon (Timisoara, £3m)
Never reliable enough to be more than a backup goalkeeper. 4/10
Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United, free)
Played 13 minutes of Premier League football before retiring. 3/10
David Pizarro (Roma, loan)
The languid midfielder never tracked back, but offered a nice range of long passing. 5/10
Season 2012-13
Manager Roberto Mancini
Javi García (Benfica, £15.8m)
The deeply underwhelming defensive midfielder was the final panic buy of a frantic deadline day. Scored on his debut but it was all downhill from there. 4/10
Matija Nastasic (Fiorentina, £12m + Savic)
Replaced Savic in defence and was one of the better performers in a disappointing season, but fell out of favour under Pellegrini. 7/10
Jack Rodwell (Everton, £12m)
The midfielder’s City career was blighted by errors and injuries, and he later admitted the move had been a mistake. 2/10
Scott Sinclair (Swansea, £6.2m)
Relatively cheap, but still nowhere near the level required. Failed to complete 90 minutes in two seasons. 2/10
Maicon (Inter, £4m)
Signed 18 months after being retired by Gareth Bale, the full-back was comfortably past his best. 3/10
Richard Wright (Preston, free)
See Taylor, Stuart. 4/10
Season 2013-14
Manager Manuel Pellegrini
Fernandinho (Shakhtar, £30m)
Expensive for a 28-year-old, but has proved the perfect all-action holding midfielder for the attacking sides assembled by Pellegrini and Pep Guardiola. Indispensable. 9/10
Stevan Jovetic (Fiorentina, £22m)
Impressed in flashes but eight goals in two seasons was a meagre return. 4/10
Álvaro Negredo (Sevilla, £20m)
Had a season of two halves, banging in 23 goals by the end of January, then losing interest and returning to Spain. 7/10
Jesús Navas (Sevilla, £15m)
A frustrating one-trick pony, although his 39 assists suggest at least some of those low crosses reached their target. 5/10
Martín Demichelis (Atlético, £4m)
Began his first season poorly but recovered to claim a starting place, a Premier League winners’ medal and a place in the 2014 World Cup final. 7/10
Season 2014-15
Manager Manuel Pellegrini
Eliaquim Mangala (Porto, £32m)
Pound for pound, perhaps the worst signing since the takeover. Has rarely looked anything other than a liability, and not even Guardiola has been able to coach it out of him. 2/10
Wilfried Bony (Swansea, £25m)
Simply didn’t fit in, costing more than £2m per goal in a miserable 18 months. Eventually sent back to Swansea at a £13m loss. 2/10
Fernando (Porto, £14m)
A stop-gap midfielder. 4/10
Willy Caballero (Málaga, £6m)
His penalty shootout prowess won the 2016 League Cup, but was otherwise unconvincing. 5/10
Bruno Zuculini (Racing, £2.5m)
The Argentinian midfielder played in the 2014 Community Shield, then was never seen again. 3/10
Frank Lampard (NYC FC, loan) 6/10
Showed touches of class in midfield and inevitably scored against Chelsea. 6/10
Bacary Sagna (Arsenal, free) 6/10
Offered defensive depth and versatility even if his best years were behind him. 6/10
Season 2015-16
Manager Manuel Pellegrini
Kevin De Bruyne (Wolfsburg, £51m)
City broke their transfer record to sign the former Chelsea midfielder, and the Belgian has been a revelation. Stood out even in last season’s spellbinding team as the ‘quarterback’ capable of dictating play and unlocking defences – and he can get even better. 9/10
Raheem Sterling (Liverpool, £44m) 8/10
Wilted in his first season after an expensive, acrimonious move, with injuries playing a part. Guardiola has brought the best out of the winger, who scored 18 goals including a clutch of late winners last season. 8/10
Nicolás Otamendi (Valencia, £34m)
The centre-back looked another expensive mistake in a skittering start to Premier League life, but improved dramatically to become a key player for Guardiola’s champions. 7/10
Fabian Delph (Aston Villa, £8m)
Looked a pointless purchase until last season, when he slotted in seamlessly at left-back with Benjamin Mendy injured. Now looks a bargain. 7/10
Patrick Roberts (Fulham, £7m)
Barely featured before being loaned to Celtic (twice) and Spanish sister club Girona. 4/10
Season 2016-17
Manager Pep Guardiola
John Stones (Everton, £47.5m)
Endured an error-strewn start at City but rewarded Guardiola’s faith and now looks set to be first-choice for club and country. 7/10
Leroy Sané (Schalke, £37m)
The German winger made a leap forward last season in a freer attacking role. Played a part in 25 goals and dazzled opposing defences, before being named PFA Young Player of the Year. 8/10
Gabriel Jesus (Palmeiras, £28m)
Despite his huge potential, few expected the Brazilian to have such an immediate impact. Averaging nearly a goal every two games so far, and still only 21. 8/10
Ilkay Gündogan (Dortmund, £24m)
Pep Guardiola’s first signing was outstanding in a landmark win over Barcelona and has become a useful squad player after missing eight months through injury. 7/10
Claudio Bravo (Barcelona, £13.8m)
On paper, a hugely experienced goalkeeper with the right attributes at a reasonable fee. On the field, barely capable of making a save in his first season – but did perform well in last season’s Carabao Cup. 4/10
Nolito (Celta Vigo, £14m)
Nearly 30 when he arrived, the versatile attacker started well but quickly faded, lasting just one season. 5/10
Oleksandr Zinchenko (Ufa, £2m)
Signed for a cut-price fee, the Ukrainian unexpectedly broke into the first-team squad as a makeshift left-back. 6/10
Season 2017-18
Manager Pep Guardiola
Kyle Walker (Tottenham, £53m)
Part of a trio of new full-backs bought for an eye-watering £131.5m, Walker was the only one to feature regularly last season, but made an enormous impact down the right flank. 8/10
Benjamin Mendy (Monaco, £52m)
Missed most of last season through injury, but his performances when fit have shown why Guardiola was prepared to pay such a big fee. 7/10
Bernardo Silva (Monaco, £43.5m)
The silky attacking midfielder has been quietly impressive without securing a starting role, but may come into his own with De Bruyne injured. 7/10
Ederson (Benfica, £35m)
Few goalkeepers can have had such an impact on an entire team’s style. Ederson’s distribution and speed have rejuvenated City’s defence. Would cost double in the current climate. 9/10
Danilo (Real Madrid, £26.5m)
An expensive backup option after City missed out on Dani Alves. Has flattered to deceive and Delph was preferred as left-back after Mendy’s injury. 4/10
Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao, £58m)
The first of two club-record signings this year as City look to reinforce their top-flight dominance. The centre-back has settled in quickly. 7/10
Season 2018-19
Manager Pep Guardiola
Riyad Mahrez (Leicester, £60m)
The most expensive signing to date, but has had little time to make an impact. 6/10
