Club accused over Gago

Judging by these comments, the agent of Fernando Gago and Real's Jorge Valdano are none too pleased with our conduct over the transfer that wasn't:

"City used us," Gago's agent Marcello Lombilla told radio station Onda Cero. "This has never happened to me before. I don't want to talk about the figures that City were offering because they approached Madrid without even knowing there wasn't physically enough time to put something together."

Real's sporting director Jorge Valdano was equally unimpressed with City's attempts, claiming that their lack of preparation hindered any hope of reaching a deal.

"They had nothing prepared, not even one document signed," Valdano told El Pais. "They had not reached an agreement with the player and they would have had to have done everything in 40 minutes."

It is difficult to know how true the accusations are, but it is not a stretch to thinkg that whilst Gago may have been on the 'wanted list', it was not until the deal to sign McDonald Mariga ultimately collapsed that there was a real intent to pursue Gago and salvage something from deadline day.

Given it was so late in the day though (with a 5pm deadline) that confirmation that Mariga's work permit had been declined, this would have left little or no time to negotiate and tie-up a deal for Gago (hence why suggestions of an initial loan surfaced on Monday), and if the accusations have some substance, does definitely show a lack of contingency and forward planning by the key decision makers in charge.