When you sign as many players as Manchester City has, at some point there has to be a mass exodus as players get fed up not playing.
Yesterday defender Wayne Bridges moved to West Ham United on loan for the rest of the season and it appears that Shaun Wright-Phillips and Roque Santa Cruz are both look set to leave Eastlands before the end of the month.
Santa Cruz looks set to to make the short journey back to Blackburn. The 6ft 2in striker scored 23 goals in 57 appearances for Rovers and he should give Blackburn that goal scoring threat that they have been missing since he left in 2009.
“Roque will probably go to Blackburn,” said Mancini. “Every player wants to play. I understand that. But it is difficult for me. If an opportunity for either of them to play came up, then it would be better for them and I hope for Roque that in one or two days, he will have that.
Shaun Wright-Phillips is behind Adam Johnson and James Milner and has been looking to move away from City for a while now. Birmingham are reportedly interested in SWP, and as Fulham and West Ham.Fulham are hooping that his relationship with former manager Mark Hughes will be enough to bring him to Craven Cottage.
Emmanuel Adebayor also wants to leave but Mancini is reluctant to do that until he knows the extent of the injury to Mario Balotelli knee injury.
“A lot of teams want Emmanuel but at the moment we have to wait for Mario Balotelli,” said Mancini. “Maybe Manu will leave but we have another 20 days, so we have time to make a decision.”
Expect Adebayor to be a last day transfer deal.
The last City player that I expect to see move is Shay Given. He is not happy being #2 to Joe Hart and is expected to move this month.
photo credit: Matthew Wilkinson
