Pick Your Poison - Manchester City

The Challenge

Pick 3 players you believe have left your club and gone onto bigger/better things and you want back at the club. Then make a choice between the 3 players as to which one you'd take back in the current squad. Judge all players on the time of their sale, not currently.

The Challenger

Andy Morris, 41, Yarm.

Player 1

Nicolas Anelka - Striker

May 2002 - January 2005

"My first choice has to be a player who is still playing at the highest level, in the Premier League, Nicolas Anelka. Anelka has been haunted by an assumption that he is somewhat miserable but he was the consummate professional during his time at City and was most definitely a diamond in the rough that made up the City squad at that time."

Anelka has proven wherever he's been that is a natural goalscorer. At Manchester City he constantly scored goals during his two-and-a-half-year tenure at the City of Manchester Stadium finishing as top goalscorer in both of his full seasons at the club. He decided to move on in January 2005 to Turkish side Fenerbahce, before returning to the Premier League with Bolton and currently Chelsea. A superb footballer, his pace and versatility could be an asset to the current Manchester City squad.

Player 2

Georgi Kinkladze - Winger

August 1995 - June 1998

"My second choice is a player who shone brightly for City and only had a brief cameo on the Premier League stage but I would have little Georgiou Kinkladze back at City in an instant and I truly feel that the player we had in 1995 would be able to do a very good job for the team we have now in 2011."

Kinkladze is a cult hero at Manchester City for his memorable goals and mazy dribbling during his time there. He stuck with the club when they were relegated in his first season at the club, despite being linked with European giants such as Barcelona, Liverpool and Inter Milan. He stayed for a further two seasons in a bid to get them back into the Premier League but wasn't able to and when Joe Royle took the reigns at the club he was seen as the weak link in a relegation battle. He was dropped and when he was restored to the line-up he couldn't help lead them out and they were relegated once again. He was consequently sold in the close season to Ajax for a reported £5M. His pace and direct running could be exactly what City need on the wings this season as they chase success on all four fronts.

Player 3

Marc-Vivien Foe (RIP)- Central Midfielder
2002/2003 (LOAN)

"Lastly a player who City had on loan only and who, at the time, every City fan thought was the perfect player to take us up a level, Marc-Vivien Foe. Foe was a great player who tragically died at the age of 28 whilst playing for his national side, Cameroon. Foe seemed to ooze class back then and had everything that would be needed for a midfielder in Mancini's City. Strength, power and presence with an eye for goal as well."

Marc-Vivien Foe in my opinion, is one of the greatest unsung heroes in Premier League history. His ability for being a genuine box-to-box midfielder was sublime. He had a knack of being in the right place at the right time, but it was more a skill due to his fantastic positional sense. He never quite fulfilled his potential but for me he was a lot like the legendary Claude Makelele. Unfortunately for us all, Marc passed away at the age of 28 after having a heart attack on the pitch while representing Cameroon in the Confederations Cup. 

 CONCLUSION

ANDY MORRIS

"When it comes to choosing one of the three I suppose most City fans would go for Kinkladze, but I think that the promise of Foe means it is the number 23 that would once again be seen on the back of a City shirt for me, and of course that would be wonderful in so many ways."

DMF

Personally, I think that Marc-Vivien Foe is the perfect foil for the Mancini midfield. A solid tackler, but with a spark of creativity to his game he is the game changer from the midfield that Yaya Toure has proved to be. With both in the squad, it could have been a partnership that completely dominates European football as well as the domestic league. A magnificent footballer, I'm sure all football fans would give something to see Foe back playing football again.

 

Do you agree with the choices @TheRealFBloke made? Let us know in the comments section or on Twitter.

DMF. (@dmf180593)