If there was ever any doubt that there are just two players in the football transfer market these days - Manchester City and The Rest - then a quick look at the top 10 deals in the August transfer window should prove the point.
While most clubs are reining in their spending in the face of recession, Sheikh Mansour’s billions mean City have first pick on all the talent and were able to sit back and relax on deadline day knowing their cash had already been put to good use.
Six of the 10 biggest fees paid by English clubs this summer belong to them, including all of the top four, and they were also able to ban unsettled stars like Emmanuel Adebayor from leaving Eastlands.
The City board even refused to allow Craig Bellamy, who ended up at Cardiff, a move to a Premier League rival and were willing to keep him in the reserves rather than back down.
It must make life a nightmare for managers like Arsene Wenger whose strict wage structure means he is unwilling to compete with the City money machine.
The Gunners did creep into the top 10 with a £10m move for Lorient defender Laurent Koscielny but their high-profile search for a top-class keeper never got off the ground - and there was never a chance of City allowing a title rival to take Shay Given.
Even Manchester United, who have spent up to £30m on the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney in the past, appear to be unable or unwilling to compete with their neighbours these days.
United had only one entry in the top 10 - and the details of Chris Smalling’s move from Fulham had been ironed out months before the window opened, with the defender loaned back to Craven Cottage last season before completing a deal in the summer.
The fact that United, thanks to the ownership of the Glazer family, are nearly £800m in debt cannot help and City have also found no stomach for a financial fight from former big-spenders Chelsea down in west London.
Roman Abramovich is still in charge at the Bridge, of course, with his appetite and chequebook restored following last season’s Double victory in FA Cup and Premier League. But he remains committed to making the club self-funding in the near future and Carlo Ancelotti’s only major signing this summer was young Brazilian midfielder Ramires from Benfica.
Even abroad the trend for huge deals and marquee signings seems to have dwindled. Barcelona, possibly the biggest club in the world, are said to be in debt and were unable to find the funds to tempt Arsenal into selling Cesc Fabregas.
Real Madrid continue to spend, of course, but Jose Mourinho’s signings were astute and canny rather than glamorous and grandiose; think Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira and Ricardo Carvalho rather than last year’s Ronaldo and Kaka.
It seems City have hit the jackpot just at the right time because it’s hard to see anyone challenging their spending power in the near future.
The Premier League is theirs for the buying.
Top 10 Transfer Fees Paid Bty English Clubs in the Transfer Window:
1 Yaya Toure (Barcelona to Man City) £28m
2 James Milner (Aston Villa to Man City) £26m
3 Mario Balotelli (Inter Milan to Man City) £24m
3 David Silva (Valencia to Man City) £24m
5 Ramires (Benfica to Chelsea) £18.2m
6 Alexsandar Kolorov (Lazio to Man City) £17m
7 Asamoah Gyan (Rennes to Sunderland) £13m
8 Jerome Boateng (Hamburg to Man City) £12m
9 Raul Meireles (Porto to Liverpool) £10.7m
10 Laurent Koscielny (Lorient to Arsenal) £10m
10 Chris Smalling (Fulham to Man United) £10m
