What does the future hold for this stuttering Manchester City star?

After joining Manchester City from Wolfsburg, fans were understandably keen to see Edin Dzeko in action. Although it would take time for him to settle and adjust to the new surroundings, it looked as though he had a promising future ahead of him amongst the new influx of talent. However he struggled to find his feet and couldn’t make much of an impression, as the sharp-shooter who delivered over 50 goals in the previous 3 seasons appeared to have left his shooting boots in Germany.

With just two goals in fifteen league appearances for Man City last season, many considered Dzeko to be a bit of a ‘flop’ at his new club, particularly for the hefty price tag of £27million. But at the same time, if you payed close attention to the way he played, it was noticeable that he had talent and technical ability, with a cool head that could overcome a difficult patch to improve in the future. As the saying goes, ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’. Although he did look out of touch in front of goal, I am eager to see him play again in the coming season because he can be exciting to watch and has the confidence to step up.

However, I’m not so sure that Edin is at the right club. City have a decent size squad, which is almost certainly set to expand over the summer. They predominately played one up front last season, with Tevez able to score and create chances out of very little, which was crucial to Man City’s season. The fact that Dzeko struggled to manufacture such chances and have a big impact meant that as opposed to lining up alongside Carlos, he often was dropped to the bench and even played third fiddle behind Balotelli towards the end of the season. I think that not getting regular first team football and maybe not always getting the necessary support from midfielders going forward, may stifle Edin’s chances of establishing himself as a Manchester City favourite.

The best thing that can happen at the club would be for them to invest in some creative players that can, when Dzeko gets on the pitch, create chances and put crosses in that will bring out the best goalscoring form we saw from him in Germany. At Wolfburg, he struck up a lethal partnership with Grafite which seemed to work very well for them, but I’m not sure that Mancini will use this system of two up front very often at City. This means that Dzeko may have to make an impact from the bench or prove his worth in the cup, presuming Tevez doesn’t leave the club.

Rumours have been floating around recently of a surprise attempt by Jose Mourinho to lure Dzeko away to Madrid. I’m not sure how serious they would be about trying to secure his services, which would obviously come at a reasonable price, but I would be disappointed if City just discarded him like that after not giving him a proper chance. I could see it as a sign of arrogance implying the club thinks it is too ambitious to take the risk of having a high-valued player at the club for more than a season if he doesn’t perform to the highest standard. I don’t envy City for the money they have to spend on new players, but I don’t want to see it get to the stage where they have no time for loyalty to existing squad members. There were also rumours of a possible loan move, with Juventus named as a potential destination for the Bosnian, which could be a better option for him.

I just hope that Edin gets to show his flair and charisma on the pitch a bit more this year, as he seems to be a rare talent and a genuine guy caught up in a whirlwind of money, gossip and ambitious goals that surround Manchester City at the moment. Anyone who dares to mock ‘Bibotelli’ on the training ground gets my vote of confidence anyway. Considering the fact that they will be in the Champions League this season, I think he will have a few more opportunities to be used in a squad that will have to be rotated in some form. Tevez can’t play every game and is slightly injury prone at times and Balotelli can be the same, not to mention temperamental. If Dzeko can show a run of form in one of the competitions, he could become a valuable player to City because they do say that for the top teams its often the strength of your back-up players that can win you silverware. I hope, after seeing Roque Santa Cruz’s services become obsolete, that Edin will turn his fortunes around and get the support he deserves from his club.

Let us know how you think Dzeko will apply his trade next season.

Follow me on Twitter: @HazbTwit

ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.

To have a peak at the top SEVEN available FREE TRANSFERS this summer, click here.

Or to have a look at 10 ways a football lover can spend this summer, click here!