Richard Bailey highlights what City need and who they are likely to bring in.
Manchester City have had a disappointing season to date. Mark Hughes' men have found consistency hard to come by but have managed to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Uefa Cup. Despite their poor domestic form the club's new owners have vowed to stand by their man and a busy January is expected at Eastlands.
Richard Bailey highlights what City need and who they are likely to bring in.
How the new boys have done
Even before the sensational takeover of the club manager Mark Hughes was given licence to spend big in the summer with the arrivals of defenders Tal Ben Haim from Chelsea, Pablo Zabaleta from Espanyol and Vincent Kompany from Hamburg.
Shaun Wright-Phillips rejoined the club from Chelsea with Brazilian striker Jo arriving from CSKA Moscow before Robinho joined from Madrid.
Of all the signings Robinho has unsurprisingly claimed all the headlines and is currently the club's top goalscorer with nine goals.
Kompany is another who has impressed since his £6million move with some assured displays in the centre of park. The Belgian international has also performed admirably when asked to play at centre-back.
Ben Haim has covered well for Micah Richards and captain Richard Dunne without setting the world alight and with just eight league appearances he has failed to regularly force his way into Hughes' first XI.
Zabaleta's character has shone through since his arrival from Spain with some gritty and determined performances at right-back and the Argentinian appears to have settled to life in Manchester fairly quickly.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment has been striker Jo. Signed for £18million the 21-year-old has scored just three times and it remains to be seen how long he will stay at Eastlands.
What they need
City will be on the look-out for a striker to share the goal burden with Robinho while Hughes's switching between Michael Ball and Javier Garrido at left-back could highlight his unhappiness with the position.
Captain Richard Dunne has made a number of high-profile mistakes this season and if City are to challenge the top four then they may need to look for another centre-back to partner Richards.
With injury restricting midfielder Michael Johnson to just three appearances, Didi Hamann not getting any younger and Gelson Fernandes seemingly out of favour a high-profile centre midfielder may also be on the cards.
What they will get
It would be quicker to list the players that Manchester City haven't been linked with as we approach the January transfer window.
Ever since the Abu Dhabi United Group fronted by UAE royal family member Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan took over the club on the final day of the summer transfer window City fans have been anticipating who the club will sign in January.
The club's signing of Real Madrid striker Robinho from under the noses of Chelsea for a British record £32.5million signalled the new owner's intent and gave City fans a taster of what to expect next month.
The owners themselves have said they are willing to splash the cash in January and with the club dropping into the relegation places it may be necessary.
Players such as AC Milan's Kaka, Juventus goalkeeper Gianlugi Buffon, Real Madrid shot-stopper Iker Casillas and Bayern Munich winger Frank Ribery are just some of football's top names to be linked with a move to Eastlands.
With City in the position they are in the Premier League then the kind of players mentioned above may be difficult to sign no matter how much money is offered so here are a few more options.
Hughes has been heavily linked with a move for his former charge Roque Santa Cruz at Blackburn. Despite currently struggling to repeat the sparkling form of his first season in England where he claimed 18 league goals he could still prove to be the perfect foil for Robinho.
Another possibility could be Real Madrid striker Javier Saviola. The Argentine has a proven goalscoring record but cannot get a game at the Bernabeu while Lyon striker Fred may also be an option along with another Brazilian Vagner Love at CSKA Moscow.
Chelsea's Wayne Bridge has been touted as a possible signing at left-back and the club could also swoop for Italian left sider Fabio Grosso who is currently playing for Lyon.
With City target Lassana Diarra agreeing to join Real Madrid, Hughes could switch his attention to attacking midfielder Andrei Arshavin after his club Zenit St Petersburg gave him permission to speak to other clubs.
The former Blackburn boss may also opt for Daniele De Rossi of Roma. With Roma looking unlikely to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League the Italian may fancy a big-money switch.
At centre-back Hughes could find Real Madrid defender Christophe Metzelder an attractive proposition. Out of favour at Madrid but with over 40 caps for Germany he has undoubted ability.
Another option could be Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini whose aggressive and tenacious style would suit the Premier League. The 24-year-old can also play at left-back.
Fan's view - Ryan Hamilton
To be honest i think Man City need at least another 5 players. First we need a keeper to cover for Joe Hart if he gets injured someone like Robert Green or Scott Carson would be good, we seriously should be considering getting a left-back because what we have are not doing the job...Lescott or Bridge would be perfect for the job....Hughes should be looking at Roque Santa Cruz and possibily getting Michael Owen both proven Premier League goalscorers but if City were to get David Villa then I really do feel that he could do as well as what Torres has done for liverpool......overall I'm really looking forward to January and what the future lies for Man City.
