Eriksson ties up Bianchi transfer

Sven-Goran Eriksson has sealed his first signing as Manchester City manager by clinching the transfer of Reggina striker Rolando Bianchi.The Italian has moved to Eastlands for an undisclosed fee which the Serie A club had previously claimed to be £8.8million.

Bianchi, 24, was the fourth highest scorer in Serie A last season with 18 goals, helping to keep Reggina in the top flight.

Eriksson told the club's website: "He scored nearly 20 goals last season in Serie A, which is a lot of goals in such a difficult league.

"He's young, and I think it's a very important signing because he should have a great future. He's a good footballer as well as a good goalscorer, which is what we need.

"He's very hardworking, very strong and he can score - if you can score nearly 20 goals in Serie A and you are not with one of the top clubs like Milan or Juve then you must be talented. It's a good record, and let's hope he continues with it.

"Let's hope he continues with it" indeed. Maybe come the end of the season we'll be talking about Ronaldo and Rolando as opposite sides of the Manchester coin. But I doubt it.