4. Patrick Vieira
Anna Gowthorpe/PA Archive/Press Association ImagesUsually, players arriving at a new club do so on a long-term deal, with the future very much in mind and hopes of many a successful season laying ahead of them. So it was somewhat bizarre when new manager Roberto Mancini announced his first signing at the club was veteran Patrick Vieira on a six MONTH deal. The 33-year-old was well-past his best at this stage, on the boundaries of retirement with his glory glory days firmly in the past. Yet Mancini clearly saw something in the veteran, and handed him one last crack of the whip in England following what looked likely to be a swansong stay at Inter Milan. Vieira arrived at the Etihad on a six month contract, with the option of extending his stay to another season, which he took up ahead of the 2010-11 campaign. The Frenchman made only limited appearances in each of his two terms, and finally retired in 2011 having won the FA Cup with the Citizens. The former midfielder is currently City's Football Development Executive, overseeing aspects such as youth development.
Joseph Dempsey
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Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
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