Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has finally revealed why the club signed former Manchester United Red Devil Owen Hargreaves this summer. City’s Italian manager has said that Hargreaves was essentially City’s third center midfield option. Ahead of the Canadian born Englishman were Real Madrid’s Fernando Gago and A.S. Roma’s Daniele De Rossi, but due to financial fair play, City were unable to sign either player.
According to The Independent, Mancini said:

“Gago is a player we liked a lot. We couldn’t spend any more money also for the question of financial fair play.
“De Rossi is one of the best midfielders in the world but I don’t believe he will ever leave Roma. So in midfield we signed Hargreaves, who was out of contact.”

City assistant David Platt added: “We needed a central midfield player but unfortunately in terms of players going out and bringing in transfer fees, a lot have gone out on loan, so fees haven’t come in for them. You have to get creative.”
Hargreaves, formerly of Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, has played in just five games in the past three seasons with Manchester United. He’s become more renown for his injuries than for his footballing skill, which is unfortunate but at the same time understandable. Can he turn his career around at City? At the age of 30 it will surely be difficult, but not impossible.
Villas-Boas Recruits Portuguese Talent
Raul Meireles joined Chelsea FC on transfer deadline day. What a great move for the Blues it will prove to be. Meireles enjoyed a brilliant first season in the English Premier League with Liverpool in 2010-11. But following the arrival of Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson, and Stewart Downing this summer, Meireles somehow found himself on Kenny Dalglish’s bench.
After securing a move to London, Meireles spoke with the media regarding his transfer.

“I made the right choice last year to come to England and to come to Liverpool and this year was different because I knew that I didn’t want to leave Liverpool.
“I felt that the new owners didn’t want to sell me, but when I knew that Chelsea and Andre wanted me, it convinced me.
“It was strange, because I knew of the interest of Chelsea, and the interest of the coach, and it was a pleasure to come to this club but it was strange because it was on the last day.
“The people think that I wanted to leave and it is only because Chelsea wanted me. For Andre to want me, that is why I wanted to go.
“I have a lot of friends here, Portuguese players that I know from Porto and the national team, and Jose Bosingwa helped me a lot in these first days.
“I know that Chelsea is a great club, one of the best clubs in the world, and it is not too difficult to convince me to come.
“Paulo and Hilario I know well, and Ramires and David Luiz I know from the Portuguese League, where they did a very good job in Benfica.
“They were very difficult opponents.
“Ramires only played one year in Portugal and that year they won the championship and he is a fantastic footballer.
“David Luiz also was very good. We talk the same language so now it is easy.
“I like to play in midfield but for me it is more important that I play and I help the team so if the coach wants to put me in another place, I want to do my job and do my job well.”