3. Martín Demichelis - £3.5 Million From Atletico Madrid
The arrival of Martín Demichelis from Atletico Madrid for
£3.5 million came as welcome relief for City fans. The reason why the 32-year-old is considered a "better" or at least more important signing than the likes of Stevan Jovetic is purely out of necessity. City have been embroiled in something of a defensive crisis of late with Vincent Kompany out until the end of September and Matija Nastasic and Micah Richards only just returning from injuries of their own. Defensive midfielder Javi Garcia had previously been forced to play centre-back, which had disastrous effects as City crashed to an embarrassing defeat to Cardiff City earlier in the campaign. Usual service was resumed when Nastasic returned to the team and partnered Joleon Lescott at the heart of City's defence for the 2-0 win against Hull, but the pair looked nothing like a solid partnership. The arrival of veteran Demichelis will provide City with more solidity at the back, while the Argentine's experience in playing European football with the likes of Bayern Munich and Malaga in the past could prove useful. With City hoping to finally qualify from the Champions League group stages this season, Demichelis could actually turn out to be one of Pellegrini's more important of summer signings.