Jô joins Elano at Gala

Our one time record signing Jô has had his loan deal with Everton cancelled and has joined Galatasaray for the remainder of the 2009/10 season. With a Premier League scoring record of six in 36 and disciplinary issues at both City and Everton I imagine this brings to an end his career in England. If Galatasaray do not buy him in the summer I am sure that no English club would touch him. A return to eastern Europe awaits.

It feels right, though, that he has been reunited with his compatriot and former MCFC team-mate Elano. Both found themselves sharply at odds with the Mark Hughes regime in that discordant autumn of 2008 - both failed to adjust to the new standards in training, both were fined wages for indiscretions, both looked out of place in a side based on pace and will. For those City fans that hope the Mancini era will herald a return to the pre-Hughes relaxation and fun factor, Galatasaray will provide a fascinating 'might have been.'

And it's a great place for him. He joins not just Elano but Shabani Nonda, Harry Kewell, Milan Baros, Tobias Linderoth and now Lucas Neill in the Premier League could-have-made-its at the Ali Sami Yen. Crucially for Elano and Jô they are managed by Frank Rijkaard, a man who achieved great things with a group of lazy Brazilians at Barcelona.