Manchester City have tried and failed to make a Premier League title charge over the past two seasons despite spending vast sums of money, they even failed to finish in the top four, but have the Citizens become a different prospect considering their recent signings?

In the past the Eastlands outfit has been branded as a club fit for only the lower class of mercenary (particularly by Oliver Kay of the Times), but they have manage to steal the signatures of players like Yaya Toure and David Silva despite interests from Chelsea and Manchester United for the pair.

With the World Cup probably slowing down transfer proceedings as the world’s stars have been preoccupied with their nation, but on early evidence City have been the most proactive (as expected) and have landed two big names fairly early into the market with all probability that there is more to come….maybe James Milner or even Edin Dzeko will be the next in the door at Eastlands?

The jury is still out on manager Roberto Mancini, but many City fans are happy with him and he now has a full season in charge to show what he can do with the club. He’s fortunate enough to be blessed with a bottomless pit of money and his transfers so far have worked well.

Adam Johnson has emerged as a real top quality talent since the former Inter Milan boss brought him to the Sky Blues and many were aggrieved when he was omitted from Fabio Capello’s final 23-man squad for the World Cup in South Africa in favour of the uninspiring Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Mancini’s only other signing was former Arsenal captain Patrick Viera, who didn’t impress a whole lot but does a job and they did not pay anything for him.

Some pundits believe that the top sides like Chelsea and Manchester United regressed that year, with Liverpool taking a drastic step in the wrong direction and look to be in a fair amount of turmoil. Tottenham did well to capitalise this and earn the right to play in the Champions League after finishing fourth ahead of City, but it will be hard for them to repeat that feat next season with their extra fixtures due to European commitments.

In the coming season perhaps City will do one better than the Lilywhites did last year and may even mount a title challenge. Chelsea are looking to strengthen after a few high profile departures and many argue that they will spend big for the first time in a handful of season, but Manchester United are clearly having some problems with their debt and cannot compete effectively in the transfer market with City or Chelsea.

As for the new signings, Yaya Toure has become the best paid player in the league which has raised a few eyebrows, but he will give some steel to the Manchester City midfield. He may have upset a few fans after declaring he would one day like to return to Barcelona just days after signing for the club.

Silva has been out of the Spain side over their last few games but could be the creative force that City needs to take them to the next level. Last season Silva scored 10 goals and made 12 assists in 36 games for former club Valencia. The Spaniard can play in a number of midfield positions or as a traditional number 10 and is capable of doing something special.

Do the Manchester City fans believe their club can mount a more serious challenge to the top clubs in the coming season?

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Click on image below to see the Dutch babes at the World Cup