Joe Cole to Lille? Owen Hargreaves to City? Madness, and it’s not even transfer deadline day yet.

If there was a sentence I didn’t expect to hear was: ‘Owen Hargreaves in line for City move.’

And it’s news like this that sum up everything I hate about City.

Don’t get me wrong, they play some sensational football and have a squad of players that, I fully predict, will push Premier League champions Manchester United all the way in this season’s title race. But their never ending campaign to buy players like they’re playing a game of Football Manager simply ruins everything I love about the sport.

Despite being strongly linked with a move to West Bromwich Albion, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa – sensible career opportunities – the former Manchester United midfielder has moved to City; how did that happen?

Why do clubs buy players they simply do not need?  Mancini will have to work out how to fit Hargreaves into a team that already boasts a wealth of midfielders.

Gareth Barry, Adam Johnson, Nigel de Jong, James Milner, David Silva, Yaya Toure and Shaun Wright-Phillips – that’s not to mention City’s £25 million summer signing, Samir Nasri.

The only logic I can find in acquiring Hargreaves is the inevitable call up of Yaya Toure to the African Cup of Nations, but let’s not forget we’re talking about a player who made just 26 starts following his £20.2m move from Bayern Munich in July 2007. Do City not have any youth they can call upon?

Hargreaves, a pretty sound bench-warmer to say the least – but City have a few of those already.

So many players have made the ‘dream move’ to City only to fall by the wayside, failing to make an impact and a hand-full of appearances.

Craig Bellamy, Roque Santa Cruz, Emmanuel Adebayor, even Carlos Tevez, all fantastic players, but players that can’t get a game at City and are either frustrated or have moved on.

I appreciate the need for strength in depth and fully admire Manchester City’s ability to attract such big name players, but I fail to see the desire to need or want a player that has had an injury mired career, a player that has not played in two years, a player they simply do not need.

Doubts over Hargreaves fitness have been rife ever since his move to Manchester United. But any recent doubts appear to have been quashed with a series of YouTube videos aimed at proving the midfielders fitness.

City can afford Hargreaves to get injured and not play; if he’s fit I guess that is a bonus to them and it’s perhaps this that annoys me most.

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Manchester United fans may feel a little let down by a player they held such admiration for and a player they stood by for so many years while he recovered from a number of injuries. For them a move across to the blue side of Manchester is the ultimate insult. But, we are talking about a player that offered to play for free this season – United turned down his offer.

City can’t seem to stop buying players. In August 2010 they spent in excess of £130 million strengthening their midfield and have spent £70 million this summer bolstering their side.

The ‘can’t beat them, join them’ mentality lives strong at City and Hargreaves is just the latest addition.

Follow me on twitter: @iamdanmorris

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