After only making 10 appearances in the 2013/2014 season and the arrival of Bacary Sagna in the summer, Micah Richards left City on loan in search of more game time. Richards is City’s longest serving player; he’s been at the club since 2001 after leaving Oldham Athletic’s youth system at the age of 14. He made his first appearance against Arsenal in 2005 and went on to be a regular starter for City for multiple seasons. But the emergence of Pablo Zabaleta has affected Richard’s game time, with the Argentine proving to be one of the best right-backs in the Premier League. Despite being a back-up for Zabaleta, Richards made regular appearances under Mark Hughes and Mancini but Pellegrini seemed to push Micah out after signing Bacary Sagna. Two months after Sagna joined City, Richards left City on loan for Fiorentina.
Since Richards’ departure, cracks have started to emerge in City’s Premier League winning side and City seem to have gifted Chelsea their title. One of City’s major issues is the defence, with certain individuals coming under fire countless times throughout this season; even Pablo Zabaleta has not had the strongest season. Even though Richards has said openly he believes he will not play for City again, why shouldn’t he? With City in desperate need of a fresh squad but restricted by Financial Fair Play, Richards can help stabilize our nervy defence and money can be spent on necessary replacements instead of on a new right-back. It is unlikely we will see Zabaleta depart in the summer, but Richards is a long-term option.
Another incentive for City to try and hold on to Richards is the interest that other Premier League clubs have shown, especially rivals Chelsea who are looking to replace an ageing Branislav Ivanovic. Liverpool, AC Milan and Dortmund have also shown interest in Richard’s which proves we have a talented individual on our hands. Hopefully this attention will spur City on to talk Richards into returning to the club, though Richards did turn down an improved contract before departing for Florence. If Richards departs in the summer, another gem will have slipped through City’s net.
