De Tevez to De Bruyne sees Manchester City’s £1.2bn spend under probe
Between 2009 and 2018 Manchester City spent more than £1.2 billion on new players, a nine‑season surge that turned a fledgling project into a dominant Premier League force. The period, highlighted by the arrival of Carlos Tevez, now sits under a Premier League probe into financial irregularities.
Financial outlay and league investigation
The independent Premier League commission concluded that City used fraudulent commercial agreements to inflate revenue and cut costs by more than £900 million during the 2009/10‑2017/18 seasons. Punishment has yet to be decided and the club has lodged an appeal against the decision.
Transformational signings and trophies
The first full summer window after the Abu Dhabi United Group takeover in 2009/10 saw City spend roughly £142 million across two transfer windows. High‑profile arrivals included Carlos Tevez (£41 million), Emmanuel Adebayor (£24.9 million), Joleon Lescott (£23.6 million), Kolo Touré (£16.1 million) and Gareth Barry (£11.9 million).
Tevez, arriving from Manchester United, became the most visible face of the change. In four seasons he netted 74 goals in 148 appearances and helped City lift the FA Cup in 2010/11 and the Premier League title in 2011/12.
The following campaign added Edin Džeko (£31.3 million), Yaya Touré (£24.9 million), Mario Balotelli (£24.5 million), David Silva (£23.8 million), Aleksandar Kolarov (£19.8 million) and James Milner (£18.2 million), blending physicality, technical skill and experience.
Yaya Touré proved pivotal, amassing 436 appearances over ten years and collecting four Premier League crowns, two FA Cups and five League Cups. The club even erected a statue in his honour outside the Etihad Stadium.
Balotelli’s numbers never matched Silva’s or Touré’s, yet his personality left a mark. His “Why Always Me?” celebration after a 6‑1 demolition of United at Old Trafford remains iconic, and he supplied the pass for Sergio Agüero’s title‑clinching goal.
Sergio Agüero arrived for £35.3 million in 2011 and swiftly became City’s all‑time leading scorer with 260 goals in all competitions, 184 of them in the Premier League. His 93‑minute‑20‑second strike against Queens Park Rangers sealed the club’s first modern Premier League crown.
Subsequent acquisitions such as Fernandinho (£34.3 million), Álvaro Negredo (£21.4 million), Jesús Navas (£17.1 million), Javi García (£16 million) and Matija Nastasić (£12.1 million) meant City no longer needed to overhaul the squad, cementing its status as a Premier League powerhouse.