Since being acquired by Abu Dhabi more than a decade ago, City have been one of the richest clubs in the world, spending a lot of money not only on transfer fees but also on salaries. With the club now able to attract some of the best players in the world, there should theoretically be few stars or potential stars who would have left at a time when they could have contributed to the first team. However, this happened both before and after the acquisition. So, here are 10 players Manchester City probably should have played longer.
Anelka (£6.47 million, Fenerbahce, 2005)
City may have thought they were the last to see Him when they sent Arnelka to Turkey in the summer of 2005, but when he returned to England three years later to play for Bolton Anderson and Chelsea, the situation was certainly unexpected for City. During that time, the French striker, who scored 82 goals and 47 assists for both clubs, ran wild in England's top flight, painfully showing that as a Premier League striker he was far from over. Maybe someone should tell Manchester City this, especially before they sell him at a fairly low price.
David James (£1.2 million, Portsmouth, 2007)
David James had become one of England's best goalkeepers when he left Manchester City to join Portsmouth in 2007. Arguably, he found his best form only after playing for Portsmouth, as he did at Pompeo, when he became England's undisputed number one goalkeeper under Fabio Capello. In fact, he started all 13 games the Italian had played under England. James initially left the city not because of competitive status, but for personal reasons, and he wanted to move south, closer to his children.
Casper Schmeichel (£1.58 million, Nottsshire, 2009)
Over the past 10 years, City have spent a lot of money on goalkeepers. Whether it's Caballero, Steffen, Givín or Ederson, it took the club around £60 million to block the big hole between the post. However, the club was able to avoid all the hassle and unnecessary expenses and allowed young goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to be promoted from the youth team to the main position in the first team. Since bringing him to Notts County in 2009, the Danish goalkeeper has proven his worth in Notts County, Leeds and now Leicester City, who is now one of the premier league's best goalkeepers.
Sturridge (£8.3 million, Chelsea, 2009)
For Daniel Sturridge, there is always a sense of "what might happen". As an instinctive finisher, his liverpool under Brendan Rodgers proved he could be as devastating as the premier league's other top strikers. Injury problems have ruined his career and he is now playing in Australia, but his talent is there for all to see. His departure from Manchester City was also a controversial event as the club did not want him to leave and took Chelsea to court for damages. Sturridge left Manchester City on a free transfer, but the club received around £8.3 million in development fees as they trained his club at a young age.
Boateng (£12.1 million, Bayern Munich, 2011)
There is no doubt that Boateng left Manchester City as a mistake-prone centre-back and few would have predicted what kind of player he would become. Under the tutelage of Heynckes and Guardiola, the German player was shaped as a modern defender with all the defensive features needed for a top centre-back and a wide range of passes. During his 10 years in Munich, Boateng won 9 Bundesliga titles, 5 German Cups and 2 Champions League titles. During this period, City spent hundreds of millions of pounds on a range of centre-backs.
Stefan Savage (Exchange, Florence, 2012)
Savage's days at Manchester City were not so good that the club were willing to let him go without having to charge a transfer fee. As part of the swap deal, Nastasia transferred directly from Fiorentina. Savage had a huge impact on the Purple Lily, helping them reach the 2014-15 Europa League semi-finals and finishing fourth in Serie A three times in a row. He won atletico and his performances eventually impressed the Spanish giants, pushing veteran Godin out of the starting line-up and forming a strong partnership with Gimenez.
Tevez (£12m, Juventus, 2013)
Tevez's troubles at Manchester City are well documented, with he refusing to come off the bench in the Champions League match against Bayern Munich. He was suspended and fined by the club and although he returned to the first team and even played a role in winning the Premier League, his days at the club are few. After a failed transfer to Boca, he eventually joined Juventus. In Turin, the Argentine became Juve's top scorer and won the league title, where he proved he could still play at the highest level.
Sane (£40.5 million, Bayern Munich, 2020)
While it's too early to say that City will regret selling Sane, a growing trend suggests that the German winger has found himself at his best at Bayern despite his poor first season in Munich. Guardiola's side now has a lot of strikers, but most of the time there isn't a single striker in the starting lineup to keep an eye on, and it looks like the defending Premier League champions have not only lost Sane's attacking threat of 39 goals and 45 assists in 135 games, but have also reduced a burst point in the front.
David Silva (Free, Real Sociedad, 2020)
David Silva would be one of them, if not the greatest player in City's history. For a transfer fee of £30 million from Valencia, espanyol won four Premier League titles, three FA Cups and five League Cups for the club. Silva was only 34 when he left Manchester City and proved himself in Real Sociedad in La Liga. From a player's point of view, 2020 may be the best time for him to return to La Liga, but there is no doubt that he will continue to be the core of this La Liga powerhouse for years to come.
Angelinho (£16m, Leipzig, 2021)
In January 2020, when City decided they no longer needed the Spanish full-back, Angelinho was loaned to Leipzig. However, since moving to the Bundesliga, Angelinho has made great strides to become one of the best attacking full-backs in the top flight. So far, the player has scored nine goals and 18 assists in 61 games for Leipzig. The move was clearly an oversight for Manchester City, who had to rely on Zinchenko after Mendy was unable to play for the team.