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Bizarre Transfer Window Closes!

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The closure of the January Transfer Window 2008 will be remembered for the bizarre circumstances surrounding Benjani Mwaruwari’s late arrival in Manchester…

No doubt all will be revealed, but City spokesman Mr. Tyrell told the club’s official website ‘Due to the late arrival of the player in Manchester we were unable to complete the transfer.’

Sky Sports, who were stationed outside Eastlands and at Fratton Park for the Defoe transfer from Spurs reported seeing Benjani arrive at City’s stadium at 2310 GMT. I’m sure his agent can fill us all in on what happened later today…

In the meantime, the £5 million plus capture of Ecuadorian striker Felipe Caicedo, 19, from Swiss side FC Basel has been confirmed on a four-and-a-half-year contract. 17 year old Filippo Mancini, son of Sven’s pal Roberto has also joined City from Inter Milan on loan.

As the transfer window slams shut, it’s now clear that The Sven Revolution gathered pace this month albeit stealthily, mainly in one direction. But unfortunately he has not been able to bring in a proven top drawer striker. City have been media linked with an unprecedented 30 to 40 players these past few weeks and now begins the task of getting back to sorting out the team’s direction with a now greatly reduced playing squad.

Sven has set about a serious offloading of the City squad’s wages, generally in the modern mould of loans with a view to permanent signings. He obviously has a long term plan for the squad and this month’s clearout is a strong indicator of what’s to come.

The dramatic deadline day swoop for Benjani was one nobody predicted and would have been the first signing Sven made who was already tuned in to the rigours of Premier League football and the physical demands required.

Still, a rumoured fee of around £9 million would have been a hell of a lot to pay for a 30 year old striker.

And so to the transfer recap…

MCFC in the 2008 January Transfer Window:

IN:
Nery Castillo – Shakhtar Donetsk
(loan)
Filippo Mancini – Inter Milan
(loan)
Felipe Caicedo – FC Basel
£5 200, 000

OUT:
Rolando Bianchi – Lazio
(loan)
Ched Evans – Norwich City
(loan)
Ishmael Miller – West Bromwich Albion
(permanent deal £900,000 up front)
Danny Mills – Derby County
(loan – understand returned injured)
Georgios Samaras – Glasgow Celtic
(loan)
Paul Dickov – Blackpool
(loan)
Ousmane Dabo – Lazio
(permanent – free)

Already out on season long loans:
Bernardo Corradi – Parma
Matthew Mills – Doncaster

Preferring to stick around for Manchester Bacon Butties as opposed to Istanbul Kebabs: Andreas Isaksson

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