Bridge & RSC will no longer be on the books because their contracts have run down. Same for Kolo Toure who will also be off the books. All 3 players were on big wages from the time of Hughes's tenure at the club.
Then we have some decent strikers who aren't scoring enough goals. Balo's gone, Dzeko scores goals (but doesn't have enough pace for European football - not that it is always needed), Tevez runs around a lot but there isn't always any end product & his contract is up in 18 months, Aguero has some personal problems which may be affecting his form on the pitch. Then we have Guidetti who has had a serious illness for the past 7 months.
The defence is in much better shape, Lescott is out of favour (prone to losing concentration) and Kolarov can't defend, and also Micah has suffered with even more injuries this season than in previous ones.
In midfield Yaya and Barry are getting on a bit and Nasri has more poor games than good ones. Sinclair looks a very poor acquisition. Rodwell needs a bit more time and Garcia looks a good squad player. Milner looked very good against QPR and was bossing the midfield at the end, I was surprised when he was replaced, I thought Barry had one of his worst games for us and should have made way.
For new acquisitions, Marquinhos looks like the sort of player we could acquire for the defence, but probably one for the future, likewise Will Hughes into midfield. As for buying an established centre back then Howedes is probably a better bet than either Hummels or Subotic. For left back we would need a backup for Clichy if Kolarov is to leave, however Rekik can probably step in when required or play Nastasic there if needed.
In midfield we could do with a Wilshere type of player who can play deeper (if only there was another Alonso or Schweinsteiger out there !) as a long term replacement for Yaya and Barry. We also need a Reus or Gotze who could join the squad in place of Nasri & Sinclair.
Dzeko is the only target man we have at the moment. If he does leave then ideally I'd like to see Cavani as a target man, but alternatively Falcao is the complete striker. With Tevez and Aguero (and Balotelli) we have/had good supporting strikers. Ideally I'd like Falcao, Cavani and Aguero, but if all our strikers are to leave then Falcao, Cavani and Thomas Muller would be a FIFA frontline. However it would be almost impossible to buy two of these, never mind three, and it would put the wage bill through the roof again.
Then there's the "wingers" that keep being mentioned on here and in the papers, Ronaldo & Bale, neither are traditional wingers. Ronaldo must be at the peak of his career now and can only go downhill surely. Bale is younger and could improve but I think there must be other players out there for less money who can do a similar job to Bale for us.
In al,l I think a centre back, a couple of midfielders (one holding, one attacking) and a couple of strikers if one more leaves is quite possible for the summer. I can't see Tevez going unless as stated Txiki can get a good fee for him and remove his wages off the weekly bill. I think he will be with us until his contract runs out then we will need another striker in summer of 2014. If this is completed along with a couple more Nastasic type of signings then it will be a good window for us. This is still a bit excessive (7 players) in one window depending on outgoings, but is the price we have to pay for standing still last summer.
If we don't win the league this season then it is mainly because the team hasn't scored the amount of goals it should be doing. The defence is settled even with the injuries we have, but the strike force aren't performing like last season. I think we won the league sooner than our owners thought we would, but defending it AND competing in the Champions League is very difficult. Now we have a better setup at the club at the highest level the future is very bright for City. The club is now established at the top table and this can only be good for the long term future, add this to the Academy being built and in the next five to ten years we should get the Champions League win we want. Once that happens then City could become something very special in club football !
