Transfer Centre

Ferran Soriano: 'Defender will complete Manchester City's business'

By Joe Fish, Reporter | 01 August 2014

Premier League champions Manchester City will complete their summer business with the signing of a central defender, according to chief executive Ferran Soriano.

Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano expects the Premier League champions to wrap up their summer business by signing a central defender.

The Citizens have already recruited goalkeeper Willy Caballero, Bruno Zuculini, Fernando and former Arsenal full-back Bacary Sagna during this transfer window.

Soriano has admitted that centre-back is still an area which they are looking to improve, with Porto's Eliaquim Mangala and Roma's Mehdi Benatia having been linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium, but has stressed that there is not a need for City to purchase players for other positions.

He told the Men In Blazers podcast: "We don't plan season by season, we plan in cycles. And cycles can be three, four, five seasons. One year ago, we knew the positions we wanted to reinforce in the team and we did it.

"We have a new right-back, we have a holding midfielder, we'll have a new central defender and that's it. We don't need to sign new players for the sake of it.

"We need to sign players that the team needs because the team has a balance. To win you need to keep the balance. Our squad is very strong and it's the second year that they play with Manuel Pellegrini, so they'll do much better."

City allowed Joleon Lescott to depart for West Bromwich Albion at the end of last season, leaving Vincent Kompany, Martin Demichelis and Matija Nastasic as their only recognised central defenders.