Player Preview #9 - Emmanuel Adebayor

CURRENTLY unsettled at Manchester City, Emmanuel Adebayor could get his wish to move away from the Etihad Stadium this summer, providing potential buyers stump up the £14m asking price.

Having spent the last five months of the previous campaign on-loan at Spanish giants Real Madrid, Adebayor is holding out for a permanent deal that could take him back to the Santiago Bernabéu.

He has made no secret of his desire to leave Manchester, and is just one of several want away players under Roberto Mancini's charge at the Etihad Stadium. But, the Togolese striker's £170,000-a-week wages will be a major stumbling block if he is to engineer a move away from City.

Reports have suggested that he has turned down approaches from Blackburn Rovers and Paris Saint-Germain, who were hoping that they would be able to tempt Adebayor with a move back to France.

|Image courtesy of telegraph.co.uk|

But the former Arsenal man would prefer a return to Spain where he played at the highest level under José Mourinho. Los Merengues made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League, only to be seen off by fierce rivals Barcelona, who would go on to win the competition 3-1 against Manchester United at Wembley.

It is understandable why Adebayor would want to leave City. Despite the attraction of European football, he has simply fallen out of favour with Mancini, and there is no shortage of funds at the club to recruit more strikers should both Adebayor and Tevez leave this summer.

No player wants to sit on the bench, or not even get in the matchday squad week in week out, so it is only fair that the man who cost £25m when he signed from Arsenal in 2009 should be allowed to leave should the right offer come in.

What may displease City fans is the way Adebayor has gone about his demands to leave. Too often he has spoken out of turn, verbally bashing the club from time to time. Though the City faithful never like to boo a returning player, I cannot see Adebayor getting the warmest of receptions should he ever cross the white line at the Etihad Stadium in the future.

Player Preview #7 - James Milner

HE WAS earmarked as one of Roberto Mancini's main transfer targets when he arrived from Italy in December 2009, and in August 2010, James Milner arrived in Manchester. It was a deal rumoured to be worth in excess of £20m - plus Stephen Ireland heading in the opposite direction to Aston Villa.

Although not a regular starter last campaign, Milner still made 42 appearances for Manchester City, including a start in the FA Cup victory over Stoke City.

While he is not a flair player who really gets the crowd going, the England international boasts a fantastic work ethic and steely determination that makes him such a fine asset to have in the squad.

His versatility is what sets him out from the rest. He is able to play on the flanks, in the middle or even slot in at full-back if necessary. Milner is just the type of player Mancini loves to have at his disposal, as demonstrated with the inclusion of Pablo Zabaleta, Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany.

|Image courtesy of guardian.co.uk|

One thing you know you will get with Milner is 100% commitment. The former Newcastle United man will run through a brick wall for the team, and that is why City fans love him.

It will be interesting to see what sort of role the England U21 record cap holder is deployed in this season. With City competing in the Champions League and domestic competitions, Milner could find himself starting more games than he did last term, due to the physical demands on the rest of the squad.

His aggressive style will set him in good stead on City's European adventures, as will his direct approach, as continental defenders tend to struggle when the game is taken to them.

There is no doubt about it, Milner will be a key player for the club this season - providing he stays injury free. Mancini would not have gambled so much money on a player who would be making appearances off the bench week in week out. He is definitely a big part of City's future, starting this season.

Gaël Force

MANCHESTER City are edging ever closer to their first acquisition of the summer transfer window, with Arsenal's Gaël Clichy having a medical at a private hospital in the North-West.

The deal is reported to be in the region of £7m - a figure that is normally trebled when it comes to City's excursions in the transfer market. Several times in the past few seasons, the club has been held to ransom because of the seemingly bottomless pit of money available to the club since Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan bought City in September 2008.

In that time, more than £300m has been invested on new players as City continue their push for football domination.

The arrival of Clichy is likely to signal the end of Wayne Bridge's Eastland's career, while it also throws question marks over the capability of Aleksandar Kolarov, who Roberto Mancini purchased for £16m from Lazio last summer.

|Image courtesy of footie.co.za|

Despite making 24 Premier League appearances, the Serbian did not live up to the expectations of his price tag. It is the perfect opportunity to provide competition for the left-back position, with Argentine Pablo Zabaleta more than capable of filling in when needed.

Strength in depth has always been one of Mancini's main policies when he took charge in December 2009, and the arrival of an established defender - who can boast Champions League experience on his CV - emphasises the attraction of Eastlands.

Clichy has made over 200 appearances in his career, and at just 25-years-old Mancini has targeted a player who is at his peak. The Frenchman possesses great pace and a fantastic attacking drive - which will be crucial in City's bid to land a first Premier League title.

The Arsenal man, who began his career at Cannes, won the Premier League title with the Gunners in the 2003-04 campaign, while also helping Arsene Wenger's men to FA Cup glory in 2005. Clichy was also named in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2007-08 season, where he played every game for the North London club.