MARK HUGHES is so confident of Manchester City signing Kaka he has already drawn up a 4-1-4-1 system to accommodate the former world footballer of the year in his proposed debut against Newcastle United on Wednesday week.
Hughes and his management staff have devised an adventurous system that would see Kaka partner Stephen Ireland in the centre of midfield, with Robinho on the left, Shaun Wright-Phillips on the right and, if everything goes to plan, Roque Santa Cruz in attack.
Hughes’ assistant, Mark Bowen, has described the world-record signing of Kaka as “very close”, and the same applies to Santa Cruz’s drawn-out, €20 million move from Blackburn Rovers. If everybody is fit and City, as expected, can persuade West Ham United to release Craig Bellamy, the Wales international is likely to find himself on the bench initially.
Although Kaka has claimed he wants to “grow old” with Milan, City have been encouraged by what they have heard behind the scenes, from both the player and his employers. A provisional fee has been agreed with Milan, in the region of €110 million, and City are reputedly willing to pay the player €550,000 a week, making him the highest paid footballer in the world.
With Kaka indicating that he would be happy to meet representatives from the Abu Dhabi United Group, City’s owners feel the deal now hinges entirely on whether the player can be persuaded to leave one of Europe’s most successful institutions for a club in the early stages of transformation.
City are hopeful the player’s father, Bosco Leite, will meet the club’s executive chairman, Garry Cook, and be convinced about the club’s potential.
Hughes yesterday dismissed reports emanating from Abu Dhabi that the deal was off, and rejected suggestions the deal had been arranged above his head.
“We are a football business, so it has to be a football decision first and foremost,” he said. “In the outset any thoughts about bringing in a player of the quality of Kaka have to start at a football level, and that’s my level.
“I make my recommendations and then we try to pursue the process and see if we can get to a point where we feel we can present something to a player’s club. That’s where we have found ourselves this week. If people think this is being done above my head, then they are being totally naive.
“The fact we are interested in a player of the quality of Kaka shows the intent of the owners. We are not just taking a scatter-gun approach to world stars of football. This is a measured and calculated football decision that works for us, and that’s the reason we have expressed an interest in a player of the quality of Kaka. We feel he’s the type and the right quality that we need to drag the club forward.”
While Hughes and, privately, Cook acknowledge that City are still some distance away from making Kaka’s arrival a reality, the manager allowed himself to think about the prospect of another genuine superstar joining his squad and the impact it would have on the other players.
Robinho, for one, will be relieved to see his fellow Brazilian at Eastlands, after being disappointed by the club’s slow progress this season, and Hughes added: “There will be more of a buzz if the players actually turn up in the car park and he walks through the doorway. However, we are nowhere near that at the moment, so we have to be a little bit pragmatic and understand that it’s always a long process. The situation is still fluid.”
- Guardian Service
