Abu Dhabi United Group's (ADUG) acquisition of Premiership club Manchester City opens the door for Arab investors to conquer English football and expected to take spending levels into new heights. The group is headed by Dr. Sulaiman Al-Fahim, who is believed to be representing members of the royal family in the Gulf state. They have paid £210 million to buy the club from former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who purchased City almost a year ago for £81 million. In a demonstration of power, ADUG tried to hijack Dimitar Berbatov before city rivals Manchester United and even though they failed, City were involved in the Premiership's all-time record signing just minutes before the closure of the summer transfer window. The new administration managed to sign Real Madrid's unsettled winger Robinho for £32.4 million, a move that gains deeper significance when realizing the fact that they beat market-giants Chelsea to the Brazilian. "We would like to see Manchester City fighting for trophies in every tournament," Al-Fahim said. "We are looking to make the same kind of impact at Manchester City that has happened at Chelsea. "We don't just want Manchester City to be challenging for trophies in England, but also in the Champions League. We want them to be in for every trophy available." Biggest in the World Al-Fahim plans to land "at least 18 players," with names like France's most successful striker Thierry Henry, Arsenal's Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas, his compatriot and Liverpool forward Fernando Torres are among the coveted stars. Not only the previous names are targeted, but Al-Fahim revealed that he is ready to out-price Real Madrid towards signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United. "Ronaldo has said he wants to play for the biggest club in the world, so we will see in January if he is serious," Al-Fahim said. "Real Madrid were estimating his value at $160m (£89m) but for a player like that, to actually get him, will cost a lot more, I would think $240m (£134m). But why not? "We are going to be the biggest club in the world, bigger than both Real Madrid and Manchester United." Yet, Al-Fahim has a long way to go, with City no-where near big European clubs. According to a report by accountancy group Deloitte, Real Madrid top football clubs worldwide when it comes to revenues, followed by Manchester United, Chelsea then Arsenal.
Where are Manchester City? They didn't even make it into the top 20. British media, city supporters and former players all believe that ADUG taking over the club is exactly what the blue side of Manchester need to join the Premiership's elite. Warm Reception "It is a deal from which everyone emerges a winner," said football critic Chris Bailey in his column in Manchester Evening News. "The new owners can be applauded for seeing the potential at Eastlands and pledging to finance the club to the hilt. "Thaksin Shinawatra should be congratulated for realizing that he could no longer fulfill his own lofty ambitions for City and bowing out without putting the future of the club at risk and, just as vitally. "The fans can now look forward to embarking on a rocket ride of pure excitement." And fans seem to agree. Kevin Parker, the general secretary of City's official supporters club, was quoted by The Telegraph as saying: "It's great that the new owners appear to have deep pockets and some big names could be on the way." "But what is even more important is that they bring stability. It's good to set targets but they must be realistic. We must not put too much pressure on the manager and the squad." City's last title is dated back to 1968 when they won the Premiership title. Since then, they have been living in the shadow of giant neighbors Manchester United. United have been the most successful English club over the past 20 years, clinching 10 league titles and two Champions League trophies. Meanwhile, City hit rock bottom in 1999 when they were relegated to the lower division. New signings and several managers, former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson to name one, failed to impress at the City of Manchester. "The fact that on day one they put in a £30 million bid for one of the world's top strikers is a real statement of intent," Former City player Andy Hinchcliffe said. "This is a huge opportunity for City to really establish themselves in the top echelons of the Premier League."
