Bowen Reflects on Manchester City’s Bold Transfer Moves

Early Days as Assistant Manager

Bowen served as Mark Hughes’ assistant manager at Manchester City in 2008 during a transformative period for the club.

An Unconventional Strategy

In a recent appearance on the Business of Sport podcast, Bowen recounted the chaotic and improvised tactics that characterized their transfer approach at the time. He noted, “As the transfer window was drawing to a close, then-CEO Gary Cook informed Mark Hughes that the ownership wanted to make a significant statement.”

Bold Offers

He further elaborated on their strategy:

• “At one stage, we were putting together random offers of €30 million: €30 million for (Dimitar) Berbatov, €30 million for Robinho, €30 million for (Franck) Ribéry… We were reaching out across Europe to see who might bite.”

A Shocking Development

Amid this whirlwind of negotiations, an unexpected declaration took place. Bowen recounted, “While all of this was happening, during an event in London, the president of Barcelona announced that Manchester City had made a €30 million bid for Messi.”

Immediate Reactions

This revelation caught everyone off guard, leading to a swift and definitive rejection from the Catalan club.

Notable Acquisitions

In the end, Robinho was secured from that transfer window, marking the initiation of Manchester City’s first genuine ambitious transfer campaign, with other significant names like Vincent Kompany also joining the squad.