A common theme of the summer so far has not just been transfers being pushed through, but pushed through early. The sages of the land have nodded in appreciation as players joined their new teammates on preseason tours, rather than stumbling through the door as the transfer window closes.
This summer has been notable for the chasing pack in the Premier League moving quickly to address weak points in their squad. As the first warm-up games get underway, Arsenal have signed Petr Cech, the goalkeeper that addresses their traditional weak spot; Manchester United have a new right-back, a pacy winger and basically an entirely new midfield; Liverpool have recruited six players and are in the market for more.
Only Chelsea have really been sluggish, replacing squad players with squad players -- depending on your optimism about Radamel Falcao's prospects -- but given that their first-team didn't have too many holes in it anyway, you can understand them keeping their powder dry.
And then there's Manchester City. The £49 million move for Raheem Sterling has obviously been the most high-profile transfer thus far in the Premier League; a hugely talented, young English player moving for an enormous fee that reflects not only his current ability but potential, nationality and a huge range of other factors.
Sterling is undoubtedly a fine signing for City. He represents an upgrade on their right wing and probably their left wing if David Silva is to play in the middle more. Sterling also offers something different in a couple of other positions as well. He affords manager Manuel Pellegrini some tactical flexibility as well as being a top-class player who one imagines will only get better; he was, for a team not particularly encumbered with monetary problems now that financial fair play is appearing increasingly toothless, something of a no-brainer.
However, the purchase of Sterling is not in line with the transfer strategy of the other clubs around the top of the table. While most of those around them have quickly moved to address their identifiable weaknesses, City's remain.
City, after all, did not want for goals last season. With 83 they were the top scorers in the Premier League, notching 10 more than champions Chelsea, and in Europe's big five leagues (England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy), only Real Madrid and Barcelona's tallies were higher. City did show a troubling inability to break teams down at some points, but on the basis of the numbers, making your first signing of the summer a £49 million attacker seems counter-intuitive.
Particularly as there are big holes in both the City starting XI and the squad as well. Last season Pablo Zabaleta was below his usual standards, Vincent Kompany is declining at an alarming rate, Eliaquim Mangala had a rough first season, Gael Clichy's form disappeared, Fernando was very much not the holding midfielder City hoped he'd be, Yaya Toure looked disinterested for much of the campaign, Samir Nasri the same, and any striker not called Sergio Aguero was desperately disappointing.
Add to that the departures of James Milner and Frank Lampard, who contributed in varying degrees last term, and you're left with a squad that has significant weaknesses that need to be addressed.
A quick estimate suggests they need another centre-back; a back-up right-back; perhaps an upgrade at left-back (Aleksandar Kolarov was pretty good in the closing stages of last season but you never know when he's going to start shanking crosses into the crowd again); at least one central midfielder, preferably two and maybe three; possibly a left winger; and should Edin Dzeko and/or Stevan Jovetic leave, a striker.
The sort of midfielder they need is important, too. If Toure's powers are waning, they need someone who can control games like he used to, and still does occasionally, but much more consistently. Paul Pogba is of course the dream, but prising him not only away from Juventus but out of the reach of Barcelona and Madrid will be a significant hurdle. They could also do with someone to lessen the creative burden on David Silva, plus someone to score a few goals from midfield. If they can conjure up one player to do all of that then great, but if you think an upgrade in the holding role is required too, you start to see the need for multiple recruits.
City have invested heavily in their academy, but not too many of the youngsters like Marcos Lopes or Thierry Ambrose look ready for the first team just yet. The club will want to be patient with these youngsters, and not use them to plug gaps in the squad before they are ready.
Of course, one might say that City did finish second last season, so it's hardly time to panic and rip up the squad. But they finished eight points back from a Chelsea side that very much eased off in the closing weeks, and their status as the second-best team in the division says more about the quality of everyone else than of their own. Add another limp showing in Europe, and the need for significant strengthening becomes clear, something chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak outlined at the end of last term.
"We want to go to the next level," he said. "We want a squad that has the capability and quality to win the Premier League and compete in and win the Champions League, and go all the way in the two cup competitions in England.
"You will see some changes. Some players who have served us well, maybe it is time for them to move on to the next challenges, while you will see us in the market bringing high-quality individuals to fit in with what we are aspiring to coming in this summer. I can assure you this squad will be stronger and the team will be more competitive."
The purchase of Sterling is an excellent one for City and could turn out to be their best in some time, but it should only be a start to their summer recruitment plans. Unless they invest elsewhere too, and significantly, last season's disappointments will surely be repeated.
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