After moving into the City of Manchester Stadium in 2003, Manchester City struggled to complement moving into a 48,000 capacity stadium with improved performances on the pitch.
Three bottom-half finishes in four years had left City supporters struggling to find any excitement for the upcoming 2007-08 season.
But the mood in the blue half of the city began to change during that summer, with Thai business Thaksin Shinawatra heading a takeover of the club and immediately installing Sven-Goran Eriksson as the new manager at Eastlands.
What resulted was a recruitment drive that had only been seen in the aftermath of Roman Abramovich's arrival at Chelsea, and Shinawatra was eager to make his own mark in England.
On this day in 2007, City took a huge stride in sending out a message to their Premier League rivals by signing three players for a combined total of £17.5m.
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Through what was fast becoming a revolving door at City came defensive pair Javier Garrido and Vedran Corluka, and Brazilian midfielder Elano.
Garrido only cost £1.5m from Real Sociedad, but after being handed a four-year deal, the pressure was on the young Spaniard to perform in his left-back role.
However, after enjoying a run as first choice until Christmas, his form dipped and he soon became a bit-part player for the remainder of his stay at the club.
Corluka was brought in after establishing himself with Dinamo Zagreb, and he soon became accustomed to the rigours of the Premier League.
The Croatian became a mainstay in the City backline, missing just three Premier League games as Eriksson made full use of his versatility, but his performances earned many admirers and he signed a long-term deal with Tottenham Hotspur the following season.
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Elano arrived with a growing reputation from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk and soon turned into a fan favourite at the City of Manchester Stadium.
His first goal for City never came until the end of September, and despite occupying a role behind the main striker, the Brazilian ended the season as the club's top scorer with 10 goals.
But his second season proved less fruitful, netting just six goals in the league, and his time at Eastlands came to an end when he was sold to Galatasaray in 2009.
The signings of these three players did nt prove to be a significant success, but it will be seen as the start of the Manchester City that we know today.
It wasn't all plain-sailing under the ownership of Shinawatra, but if he didn't set the ball rolling, then City may have not developed into the elite outfit that they have become over the past six years.
Darren Plant
