Barton and Richards sign four-year Ctiy deals

Barton and Richards sign four-year Ctiy deals
Manchester City had double cause to celebrate today as Joey Barton and Micah Richards signed new four-year contracts.

The future of midfielder Barton, 23, had been in some doubt after he stunned City with a transfer request last season, while 18-year-old defender Richards was linked with a move to Tottenham.

But both players are now due to stay at Eastlands until at least 2010, with City moving to secure their futures after interest from other clubs.
This is great news for Citeh, and potentially important for Premiership fantasy managers. Citeh have solidified the center of their midfield by signing Dabo and Hamman (and already having Reyna on the books) so Barton will likely have license to push forward in support of Samaras and Corradi. He had a great fantasy season last year, when healthy and available, and looks to be poised for another step forward. Perhaps into Lampard/Gerrard territory?

As for Richards, much will depend on where they play him. If he's a center back he's a good pick, but will probably be over-priced. But if they play him at right back (what ever happened to Danny Mills?) he could be one to watch. He's also tall and good in the air so he could be a secondary target on set pieces, after Samaras.

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