Manchester City in the recent past have by no means been shy in terms of player recruitment. When there are so many players coming in, there are bound to be a few outgoings as well. To make room for new players, the City board have no option but to offload a few in order to maintain dressing room harmony and a decent wage bill, along with also affording the sidelined player a chance to get his career back on track by moving to a club where game time will come more often.
While Manchester City have had success with some exceptional imports, there have been quite a few failures as well. It would be harsh to call them failures, but some of these players failed to adapt to England completely and perhaps weren’t blessed with the tools needed to cut it out in the Premier League. Having said that, most of these players left City when they were young enough to go make their lives elsewhere and having impressed on other leagues, a return to England could well be on the cards.
Here are 3 former Manchester City players who lost their way at the Etihad Stadium, but are ready to return to England based on what they have done following their departures from the club –
Stefan Savic
The Montenegrian had just the one solitary season in Manchester city colours, back in 2011-12. But he will have fond memories of that season as City went on to win the league title. He joined the club from Partizan amidst much delight as he was seen as a talented, young centre back with loads of potential. However, he departed after one season, to Fiorentina, where he was involved in a swap deal that brought defender Matija Nastasic to Manchester City.
Savic enjoyed success at Fiorentina, where he got used to the rigours of top class professional football. This saw him earn himself a move to Atletico Madrid, where he has impressed as well. Such performances have seen him being linked with a move back to England and at 26 years old, it could be the perfect time to return to England to test himself in those waters again. Manchester City, who are in need of defensive reinforcements could surprisingly make a move to sign him and by no means would that be a bad choice as Savic has now gained valuable experience and knows the game better.
Stevan Jovetic
Jovetic was snapped up by Manchester City in the summer of 2013 from Fiorentina. Much was made of the move as the transfer fee involved was close to 26 million Euros. Jovetic also saw silverware in his first season with the Citizens, as they picked up both the League cup and Premier League trophies. However, Jovetic was no more than a bit-part player and this is something that irked him throughout his 2-year stay in England.
Failure to establish himself as a first-team regular at City saw him being loaned out to Inter Milan in 2015-16. The move was later made permanent as well. But Jovetic suffered the same fate at Inter as he struggled to settle down at Italy. In the January transfer window, he was loaned out to Sevilla where he has made an impact in his short time there, by scoring a few important goals for the Andalusians. By the end of the season, there could be a lot of interest generated in Jovetic and it is likely that even he could fancy a return to England in order to make up for his past failures.
Felipe Caicedo
The 28-year-old Ecuadorian striker arrived from FC Basel at a tender age in the winter transfer window of 2008 amidst much excitement. He was touted for a big future in the game due to his physicality and impressive pace. His initial season in the Premier League was all about getting used to England, whereas in his second he managed to get himself on the scoresheet 7 times, impressing many with his hold up play and strength. However, the following season saw City recruit forwards like Adebayor, Tevez and Santa Cruz, thus bringing Caicedo’s time to an end. He was loaned out to get considerable playing time.
He first moved to Sporting CP, where he failed to adjust to life in Portugal. He was then eventually shipped out to Malaga and then Levente, where he finally made a name for himself, scoring 13 goals in his solitary season there. A move to Lokomotiv Moscow came next, followed by a move to the UAE. He then returned to Spain in 2014, when he joined Espanyol. Caicedo should certainly be on the shortlist of many England clubs for the summer transfer window as he is more than capable of doing the job of scoring, at one of the mid-table clubs, who are in need of a target-man. He would surely suit a lot of clubs in England, and if he is given the right service, he could yet become a decent Premier League-level striker.
