Thaksin seeks big name buy?

There's an article in the Times this morning which says that we're looking at a very big name signing to help improve attendances. It claims meetings between Dr Thaksin and Sven this week have come to this decision, quoting Sven: "We think it might be a good way to fill the stadium. Football has always been like that, if you have a big, big star, people want to see them playing. I don't know if it's going to happen, but there are thoughts about it. It can't be someone at the end of his career. That would be going the wrong way about it.”

I'm not particularly comfortable with buying players on reputation alone. The fact that Ian Whittell identifies David Beckham as "the obvious, and topical, choice" demonstrates how this would not be a purely footballing decision. It is quality football, rather than footballers, which attracts supporters. For too long in recent years we were a retirement home for millionaires: Fowler, Cole, McManaman and Hamann Mk. I. Sven, however, brought in hungry young players eager to prove themselves on a new stage (and Geovanni). I do think we need to make new signings, and not just young players, but this idea of a world famous new superstar is just a bit too Shevchenko for me.

If it's not Beckham, it could well be Michael Owen - another star on the wane. This is even more plausible than Beckham, I think. He's world famous, he's not at the end of his career, he's got a good relationship with Sven and he wants a move. I can see the attraction, but we already have one striker with dodgy knee ligaments - and he might actually be better than Owen next year. No one else quite fits the bill: we've been linked with half the Barcelona squad but I can't see it. Joaquin or David Albelda from Valencia would be great buys - but they're not the massive names we're looking for.

None of this sits well. A chairman demanding a big name buy from his manager destroyed Chelsea. Or for an example from City's past - George Weah couldn't keep Paul Dickov out of the team.