Hughes ready to spend

Man City boss Mark Hughes is ready to splash the cash to get City out of trouble as the January transfer window swings open.

Speculation about potential City transfer targets has been rife ever since the Eastlands club were taken over by Arab investors on transfer deadline day in September.

Hughes suddenly found himself in charge of the world's richest club and the new owners wasted no time in flexing their financial muscle. They had only been in charge for a few hours before they handed Hughes £32.5 million to spend on Brazilian superstar Robinho.

However since the transfer window slammed shut City have been sliding down the league at an alarming rate. Hughes has admitted he is ready to spend his way out of a relegation battle and hopes reinforcements can help City push for a top six finish.

"I think everyone understands there are certain areas of the squad which need strengthening and we will look to address those in the window," said the former Wales manager.

"We are looking to bring good quality players to the club to help our situation and make sure that the club is moving forward in the future. There is no guarantee how many of those players we will be able to bring to the club. It is clear from everyone's point of view that we do need help."

City have been linked with a number of players in January including West Ham duo Scott Parker and Craig Bellamy and Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz. Hughes insists though that whoever arrives at the club over the next few weeks he is looking to build slowly rather than look for quick fixes.

"We have not had the benefit of one transfer window yet," he added.

"We need to go through three or four before we can even suggest that we are going to challenge at the top end. There will come a point when everybody says 'this is the moment when we can have a real go'. We are nowhere near yet, everybody has to understand that."

City could even have a clutch of new signings ready for the visit of Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup Third Round on Saturday.

With a seemingly unlimited amount of cash to spend on new players, fans eyeing a £10 free bet may be tempted to back Hughes' men to go all the way to Wembley.

Whatever happens between now and February it looks set to be a busy and exciting few weeks for everyone in the blue half of Manchester.