In September 2008, Manchester City were at the centre of the most astonishing deadline day of all time.
The immediate impact of the Abu Dhabi United Group’s takeover to persuade Alex Ferguson to kidnap Dimitar Berbatov (sort of) and the after-effects have been felt across English and European football ever since.
However, it seems City decided more or less then that they were done providing us with any real deadline day entertainment, and this Monday is likely to be no different.
Even if Julian Alvarez’s signing from River Plate is confirmed, that one has been in the pipeline for more than a week.
The Blues are a clinically efficient and well-run operation - the sort of club that tends not to get involved in any last-ditch hoo-ha in the transfer market. Did someone say “boring”?
Anyway, you don’t need surprise signings to make deadline day something worth following - isn’t that right, Manchester City fan scrolling their phone reading this?
With that in mind, here are four City Is Ours deadline day “predictions” of varying levels of seriousness.
Erling Haaland is a Blue
Daily gossip about Borussia Dortmund hotshot Erling Haaland has been a staple of this window, but that saga is only really going to get cooking in the summer.
In the meantime, we can look for clues, hints and anything else to suggest Erling is ready to follow in the footsteps of his father Alf-Inge and turn out for City.
We’ve all seen the pictures of a young Haaland in a replica City shirt and the one of him at the 2014 League Cup final with his dad.
Eagle-eyed observers noticed Haaland had City on in the background of an Instagram story the other week. So, expect more of this on deadline day - an old picture of Erling blowing up an inflatable banana while watching a Shaun Goater DVD, perhaps?
Gio leaks
As the clock ticks down, managers can get desperate when it comes to securing their desired targets.
City will certainly be hoping Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst doesn’t decide to deal from the bottom of the deck when it comes to his apparent interest in loaning James McAtee.
Van Bronckhorst was granted access to the CFG after leaving Feyenoord in 2019, getting a sneak peek at City’s inner workings.
“Give me the boy McAtee, or I’ll leak Pep’s 250-page PowerPoint on inverted full-backs and false nines!” is the phone call Txiki Begiristain absolutely does not want to receive.
Adama fine deal
When he’s not on the golf course, Pep Guardiola likes to spend his time collecting expensive bottles of wine.
While we ponder some potential salt-of-the-earth hobbies for the Blues boss, we have to imagine he’s giving strong thought to sending a case of the good stuff to his old pal Joan Laporta. Bruno Lage can have some too.
Why? Well, Adama Traore - the inexplicable scourge of Manchester City - has joined Barcelona on loan from Wolves until the end of the season with a view to a permanent move.
That means, on April 16, when City travel to Molineux, we’ll be spared the biannual spectacle of the erratic winger turning into superman.
And Barcelona making Mes Que Un Shambles of their group campaign means there’s no chance of Traore ruining City in the Champions League this season either.
Let’s all have an Isco
Come on, it hasn’t happened yet this window, has it? So it absolutely has to.
Death, taxes and City being linked to Real Madrid playmaker Isco.
We have few certainties in this ever-changing world. Please, please don’t rob us of this one.
Fichajes , you know what to do.
What do you think will happen (if anything at all) at Manchester City on deadline day? Follow City Is Ours editor Dom Farrell on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
