Manchester City have completed their first signing of the transfer window today, signing defender Bacary Sagna on a costless transfer from Arsenal. He becomes the latest in a line of players to join The Blues from Arsenal in recent years, including his compatriots Samir Nasri and Gaël Clichy. The 31-year-old has signed a 3-year deal on £140k per week.
Sagna has been a good option at right-back for Arsenal over recent years, making over 200 appearances in the league and nearly 300 in total for The Gunners since 2007. He confirmed he would be leaving The Emirates at the end of May, after weeks of speculation; there were thought to be several clubs in the chase for the French international, with Manchester City one of the front-runners.
Despite his extensive wage, he is only expected to be a rotation option with Pablo Zabaleta for right-back. Manuel Pellegrini tried a similar thing last season with Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov to great effect. Another thing Manchester City did to great effect last season was conducting their transfer business early in the window, which they are doing again now. It gives the players the chance to settle into the squad before competitive action begins, which was one of the causes of the calamitous 2012-13 season (where City signed five players on transfer deadline day). Along with Sagna, The Blues are expected to announce the signing of Fernando from Porto in the coming days.
