When you look at the number of players that Manchester City already have in their squad, especially in midfield, it looks as though James Milner will be just another to arrive on big money and not play regular football.

At Aston Villa last season he was one of the first names on the team sheet, but it's not going to be that way at Eastlands.

Milner is highly-praised for his versatility, but I can't see him holding down a regular starting place either on the wings or in the centre of midfield. Due to their recent signings, City have well over a dozen other midfielders in their ranks already. One of those is now a World Cup winner and another was a first-teamer at Barcelona for the past three years.
In footballing terms, I think it is a bad move for him. But if it is money that he is chasing then he's off to the right club.

To leave Aston Villa to go to Manchester City, it must be about money. City may be on a mission to spend their way to the top, but in terms of comparing the two clubs, both historically and in recent years, Villa have more about them. It's certainly not a step forward.

Roberto Mancini is loading himself up with problems, whether he tries to ignores the major egos in the dressing room and persist with a settled side, or whether he adopts a rotation policy to keep everyone happy.

Even when Chelsea were at their most spend-happy under Jose Mourinho, the Portuguese coach managed to keep a strong core within the first team. Mancini is going to struggle to do that with the number of playing staff already on his books as it is, without adding any more.

I personally don't think this will be a good move for Milner. For Villa, however, I think it could be great. They are in line to pocket a tremendous sum of money for a player who I don't think is worth anywhere near that amount.

Once again, last season Villa suffered from the lack of depth in their squad. They just weren't able to last the pace as the race for fourth place neared its end. So a windfall of anything up to the £30 million they are demanding can help Martin O'Neill make several significant signings that will greatly aid them next season.
He was great at times last season, and has improved year on year, but it remains to be seen if he can produce that form consistently. He is also still not proven at international level. It seems to me that City are once again paying well over the odds for a player.

Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger would certainly never dream of paying that kind of fee for a player of Milner's abilities. Not even Harry Redknapp, who is always keen to give English players a chance, would see him as a decent buy at that price.
I'm no fan of Premier League managers shipping in foreign players when there are equally talented Englishmen not being given the same opportunities, but when Milner is going for so much money can you blame them?