Manchester City have been known for large-scale spending ever since their infamous 2008 takeover from Sheikh Mansour.. In a modern game dominated by wealth and your ability to attract the highest calibre of players to the club, there was once a period in which the Blues were known for poaching Arsenal’s ‘cream of the crop’, so to speak, for their gain.. Liverpool’s constant poaching of Southampton players is the only modern-day similarity, given the Merseysiders have signed ten players from the south coast over the last ten years, with six of those coming in a four-year period between 2014 and 2018.. READ MORE: Erling Haaland sends four-word message to Man City teammates before Arsenal showdown. READ MORE: De Bruyne return, Grealish decision – predicted Man City line-up vs Arsenal. With Sunday’s mouth-watering clash between Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta on the horizon, MEN Sport looks a little deeper at some of the names City managed to poach from the Gunners as they eventually fought for their spot within the Premier League’s elite.. Bacary Sagna. Signed: June 2014. Fee: Free. Verdict: Poor. After snubbing Arsenal’s advances to remain at the Emirates Stadium, French defender Bacary Sagna opted to swap London for Manchester as he penned a three-year-deal.. Insistent that the move was not about the money, despite taking a £60,000-per-week pay rise, Sagna only managed 86 appearances during his three years at the club before eventually departing for Italian side Benevento. He was part of the League Cup-winning side in 2016.. Samir Nasri. Signed: August 2011. Fee: £25 million. Verdict: Decent. An electric winger who would often dazzle those who watched on, Samir Nasri left Arsenal back in 2011 as he also joined the Blues in a deal believed to be worth in the region of £25million.. Spending six years at the Etihad, Nasri won two Premier League titles and was part of the 2014 League Cup-winning side. Featuring 176 times, the Frenchman scored 27 goals and eventually left for Turkey in 2017 at the end of his contract. His career never quite hit the dizzy heights seen in England after his departure.. Gael Clichy. Signed: July 2011. Fee: £7million. Verdict: Decent. “I wanted to play for a club that would win (titles),” said Clichy as he arrived in Manchester following his switch from north London, and that he did with Robert Mancini at the helm.. Clichy established himself as first choice left-back after beginning the season as backup to Aleksandar Kolarov, but it was clear from there on that the Frenchman would push the Serbian for the number one spot.. Racking up 203 appearances, Clichy was extremely popular due to his tireless work rate and was instrumental during Mancini’s success in Manchester. He left in 2017 but his efforts will not be forgotten in a hurry.. Emmanuel Adebayor. Signed: July 2009. Fee: £25 million. Verdict: Meh. Arriving for £25million and expected to hit the ground running, things just never quite worked out for Emmanuel Adebayor at Manchester City, did they?. Remembered mainly for running the entire length of the pitch to celebrate in front of Arsenal’s supporters back in 2009, his career failed to come to fruition during an average three-year stint at the Etihad.. Eventually leaving for Tottenham in 2012, the Togo international scored just 19 goals and failed to win any silverware with City.. Kolo Toure. Signed: July 2009. Fee: £15million. Verdict: Meh. Having held cult hero status at each of his Premier League clubs, Kolo Toure’s impeccable partnership with Sol Campbell before his move to Manchester City meant excitement bubbled over as he arrived for £15million.. He won just one Premier League title and the FA Cup, as well as being named club captain but most will remember his time at the club for an infamous chant alongside his older brother Yaya Toure who is widely considered to be one of City’s best-ever players. Tough act to follow.
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