During the 1994/95 campaign Manchester City spent a mere £30,000 on new players. Season 2009/10 and the figure is £86 million, and rising.
Some of the following data will not be 100% accurate as clubs (including MCFC) these days avoid letting the public know exactly how much a player costs. Nevertheless I think it’s worth spending a few minutes of your time looking at how times have changed.
Season 92/93
Players in = £2,500,000
Steve Finney (Free)
Terry Phelan (£2,500,000)
Players out = £650,000
Mark Brennan (£200,000)
Mark Peters (Free)
Michael Hughes (£450,000)
Season 93/94
Players in = £8,200,000
Nicky Summerbee (£1,500,000)
Peter Beagrie (£1,100,000)
Paul Walsh (£750,000)
Uwe Rosler (£750,000)
David Rocastle (£2,000,000)
Carl Griffith (£500,000)
Alan Kernaghan (£1,600,000)
Players out = £2,450,000
David White (£2,000,000)
Rick Holden (£450,000)
Peter Reid (Free)
Season 94/95
Players in = £30,000
John Burridge (Free)
Ray Kelly (£30,000)
Players out = £2,250,000
Mike Quigley (Free)
Steve Finney (Free)
Steve McMahon (Free)
Mike Sheron (£1,000,000)
David Rocastle (£1,250,000)
Season 95/96
Players in = £8,750,000
Scott Hiley (£250,000)
Mikhail Kavelashvili (£1,400,000)
Nigel Clough (£1,500,000)
Martin Phillips (£500,000)
Gerry Creaney (£1,500,000)
Georgi Kinkladze (£2,000,000)
Kit Symons (£1,200,000)
Eike Immel (£400,000)
Players out = £1,660,000
David Kerr (£20,000)
Tony Coton (£500,000)
David Brightwell (£30,000)
Paul Walsh (£500,000)
Andy Hill (£150,000)
Adie Mike (£60,000)
Fitzroy Simpson (£200,000)
Carl Griffith (£200,000)
John Burridge (Free)
In came the millennium and City were beginning to see the value of players soar.
Season 01/02
Players in = £32,700,000
Nicolas Anelka (£13,000,000)
Vicente Matias Vuoso (£3,500,000)
Sylvain Distin (£4,000,000)
Sun Jihai (£2,000,000)
Jon Macken (£5,000,000)
Niclas Jensen (£700,000)
Christian Negouai (£1,500,000)
Lucien Mettomo (£1,500,000)
Alioune Toure (Free)
Ali Benarbia (Free)
Nicky Summerbee (Free)
Eyal Berkovic (£1,500,000)
Simon Colosimo (Nominal)
Stuart Pearce (Free)
Players out = £3,800,000
Alioune Toure (Nomonal)
Paul Dickov (Nominal)
Leon Mike (£50,000)
Dickson Etuhu (£300,000)
Danny Granville (£500,000)
Nicky Summerbee (Free)
Tony Grant (£250,000)
Stephen Hodgson (Free)
Jim Whitley (Free)
Mark Kennedy (£2,000,000)
Shaun Holmes (Free)
Richard McKinney (Free)
Spencer Prior (£700,000)
Gareth Taylor (Free)
Season 04/05
Players in = £0
Ronald Waterreus (Free)
Danny Mills (Free)
Players out = £7,600,000
Patrick McCarthy (£100,000)
Nicolas Anelka (£7,000,000)
Paulo Wanchope (£500,000)
Kieran Westwood (Free)
Craig Davies (Free)
Michael Tarnat (Free)
Seasons 2005/06 and 06/07 and City were still a selling club in that 05/06 the Blues made a net profit (players in / out) of £12,150,000. The following season and City made another profit of £8,200,000.
Oh how times have changed!
Season 08/09
Players in = £127,700,000
Jo (£18,000,000)
Tal Ben-Haim (£5,000,000)
Vincent Kompany (£6,700,000)
Shaun Wright Phillips (£9,000,000)
Leandro Glauber (Undicslosed)
Pablo Zabaleta (£6,500,000)
Robinho (£32,500,000)
Wayne Bridge (£12,000,000)
Craig Bellamy (£14,000,000)
Nigel De Jong (£16,000,000)
Shay Given (£8,000,000)
Players out = £9,800,000
Andreas Isaksson (Free)
Sun Jihai (Free)
Geovanni (Free)
Georgios Samaras (£1,000,000)
Matthew Mills (£300,000)
Rolando Bianchi (Free)
Vedran Corluka (£8,500,000)
Bernado Corradi (Free)
Emile Mpenza (Free)
Season 09/10
Players in = £86,000,000 & counting
Gareth Barry (£12,000,000)
Roque Santa Cruz (£17,500,000)
Gunnar Nielsen (Free)
Stuart Taylor (Tribunal)
Fernandes Gelson (£6,000,000)
Carlos Tevez (£25,500,000)
Emmanuel Adebayor (£25,000,000)
Players out = £1,500,000
Daniel Sturbridge (Tribunal)
Ched Evans (£1,500,000)
I’m sure I may have got one or two figures slightly wrong, if so, please let me know. In the meantime do you think City will eclipse last seasons £127,700,000 spend?