Manchester City create the most expensive shot in the history of football « Untold Arsenal: Arsenal News. Supporting the Lord Wenger; coach of the decade

By Tony Attwood

Manchester City added another honour to their trophy cabinet last night by securing the most expensive shot in the history of football.  Their squad last night cost (including this season’s salaries) something in the region of £200m, and managed one shot on target – an all time record.

Some of the squad – including Samir Nasri – seemed more like trophies rather than expensively secured players, getting the odd game in the Little Cup and not much else.   But overall £145,000,000 is nothing compared to the cost of the whole squad.

A year ago the Daily Telegraph calculated the cost of the total squad at £816,000,000 including salaries, and that price has risen considerably since then – it might even be closer to £1,000,000,000, which I believe is what the Americans call a billion.

Anyway, it all removes reality from football, which I suppose is itself a removal from reality, and that’s why I go.

But we did learn some nice things last night apart from the fact that we could get six shots on target to the record holders’ one.

• Lukasz Fabianski has not lost his form by sitting on the bench.  A year ago the AAA were screaming to buy someone (it seemed like almost anyone) because we had no keepers.  Now we know we have two quality players, and that could be three, only I haven’t seen Mannone play this season.
• Laurent Koscielny is fast becoming an utterly masterful player.  At £8m I would say that he is a staggering bargain
• Ignasi Miquel continues his development, and is looking as if he will become a class defender.  He is only 20, and I would not be surprised to see a regular role in the first team squad from next season and one of our three main choice central defenders the year after that.
• Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is stunningly exciting.   I wonder if it would be possible to play Theo and Alex in the same team?
• Francis Coquelin is developing as a good defender – I really hope he doesn’t get fed up with the lack of games and ask for a transfer after all this time being developed with the club.
• Emmanuel Frimpong is not the hot headed kid of the start of the season but a quality mature defender.

So congratulations to Manchester City on another record to add to a growing list, including being the only club to have had their stadium paid for by the state, and the club that holds the record for the highest loss in the history of football – £195,000,000.  I expect they will have many more such records in the coming months and years.