Gareth Barry joins Manchester City

With a well fortified balance sheet in place, Man City acted quickly to sign Gareth Barry from Aston Villa for a fee of £12m. Upon signing a five-year contract rumoured to be in the vicinity of £90k per week, the midfield said via the club web-site:

"I'm delighted to be joining City. It didn't take much persuasion from Mark Hughes, they are heading in the direction I want to go. There is great potential here, and I'm sure there will be a few more additions to the squad this summer."

Manager Mark Hughes said of his new midfielder:

“Gareth is widely acknowledged as one of the top midfielders in the Premier League, and that is a recommendation in itself. When players of his quality become available then you have to be in the market for them, so we are absolutely delighted that we have been able to conclude this deal.

“The experience required to compete with the best in the Premier League is vital, and with Gareth we get the experience of someone who has played week-in, week-out in the hardest league in the world. He plays at a level that has an impact on the game, and we are thrilled that he is joining us”.

The English international is just the first cog in what is surely to be a hefty grouping of signings for Mark Hughes and company as they are poised to act on numerous opportunities. Combined with the clubs rock solid balance sheet, a stated commitment to bring some of the sports most exciting talent to the City of Manchester and numerous players available this year for the "right price", it promises to be an exciting few months.