Money can't buy success. Thaksin Shinawatra invested heavily in Manchester City upon taking over as owner almost 18 months ago, and though the improvement in the side was undisputed, they only finished ninth in the league, following a second half of season collapse.

So, of course, they sacked the manager. Poor Sven-Goran Eriksson (who coincidentally finds himself bouncing from one ludicrously lucrative job to another despite the absence of success) was shown the door by the ruthless City hierarchy, who had expected more from their £50 million-plus summer investment.

Mark Hughes was brought in and it all started again - but wait, there was a twist. Dr. Shinawatra found himself inundated by corruption claims and had his assets frozen back in his native Thailand. Just as City looked as though they may have been in store for a brutal crash-landing back into the financial reality of a mid-to-lower table Premier League club, old 'Frank' - as he is nicknamed by the City faithful - got the club and himself out of jail free, courtesy of a middle-eastern connection.

The Abu Dhabi United Group now bankroll City with finances that eclipse the competition in a way never seen before in the history of the game. Mark Hughes has already broken the British transfer record in signing Robinho from Real Madrid in a last-minute deal that shocked the world of football in September. Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany, Jo and others have also headed to the City of Manchester Stadium, yet they find themselves curiously close to the relegation zone. That never happened under Sven.

It has been a case of more money, more problems for Mark Hughes and the starry-eyed City fans. A club who have been outscored only by Chelsea so far this season, but are conceding more than most clubs in the league have decided to make their primary target in this January transfer window an attacking midfielder.

The move for Kaka is an attempt to buy credibility. The likes of Hughes and others have openly said that sealing the signing of the 2007 World Player of the Year will be a statement of intent and help attract other players to the club. Elano attracted Robinho, Robinho may attract Kaka, but when will Manchester City start attracting players by themselves? These things may take time, but the likes of Wigan Athletic and Fulham are working with relative scraps and are fairly comfortable in the top half of the league as we arrive in the middle of January.

City are taking the wrong approach and should instead be emulating Chelsea's model for their rise to success. Following Roman Abramovich's takeover, the Blues did not go for Ballon d'Or footballers and instead snapped up the likes of Petr Cech, Michael Essien, Damien Duff, Didier Drogba and more - they built an exceptional team. Since then, they may not have been the shrewdest in the transfer market, but it is those early years that City should be looking to emulate.

Kompany has proven to be an exceptional purchase for City, and they've now gone back to Hamburger SV and are on the cusp of clinching the signing of Nigel de Jong to boot. With the likes of Stephen Ireland flourishing, Daniel Sturridge showing immense potential, the exceptional Martin Petrov to return from injury and Shaun Wright-Phillips having just returned to the club, Kaka needn't be a priority.

Goals are needed up front and David Villa, with whom City have been linked in previous months, would be the ideal signing to lead the way at 'Middle Eastlands'. Defensive reinforcements are a priority, with Richard Dunne's star waning and Micah Richards still finding his feet. The likes of Philipp Lahm could prove a valuable acquisition as a two-sided full-back, while Giorgio Chiellini has been linked with a switch to City in the past and would add further strength to the back line.

The options are as good as limitless, yet owners, manager and fans alike all have their heart set on sealing the signing of Kaka, perhaps not fully appreciating the long-term ramifications of such a move - not just from a financial point of view, but in terms of squad balance as well. Though he is sure to produce dazzling displays at Eastlands, Kaka may cause yet more instability at the club and their chances of qualifying for Europe could disintegrate.

With that, and if Kaka's alleged get-out clause is to be believed, they will be left without the player and without integrity. Again, it will be the manager who is made the sacrificial lamb, and the cycle will start all over again. What will it take for them to learn from their mistakes?

Sulmaan Ahmad, Goal.com

 

Great piece Hamad, thanks