Landycakes at Eastlands? Nahgannahappen.
Which player is not linked with City nowadays? Every hour it is a different one. Torres, Drogba, Balotelli, and now Landon Donovan.
Look at this part:
Asked whether Donovan would be arriving at Eastlands this summer, Mancini told Sky Sports News while on the club’s pre-season tour in the New York: ”We will have to see. The market is open until the end of August. It could be, because Donovan is a good player.”
This is what a non-committal answer looks like. Cut and paste any player’s name. City is interested.
Don Garber has clearly instituted a hands off policy on Donovan saying he was not for sale. And the midfielder has committed himself to a four year contract with the MLS.
However, there are other reasons why this is not happening.
What has happened in the Eastlands is a glut of players who have to scrap for playing minutes. Many are now out on loan spells – Jô, Felipe Caciedo, Bojinov, Benjani Mwaruwari, and Robinho. Some like Roque Santa Cruz who was prised out by Mark Hughes and brought to the Eastlands with much fanfare have seen very few minutes after the arrival of Emmanuel Adebayor and Carlos Tevez.
This is what Donovan faces if he ever comes to City and I suspect he knows it. Ironically, he could end up asking for a loan spell to the Galaxy to ensure playing minutes.
Mancini is in New York with Man City as part of the Barclay’s New York Challenge which also includes Sporting Lisbon, Spurs, and Red Bulls. I suspect he will be asked this question again and he will give the same reply. It is a nod to Donovan’s talent as well as bit of a marketing ploy. Nothing more.