Santa Cruz to rejoin former Manager

Roque Santa Cruz has left Blackburn to re-join Mark Hughes at Manchester City. He has signed a four year contract after he passed the medical.

Santa Cruz, 27, was still under contract with Blackburn up until 2012 but had a buy-out clause for £18m. The Paraguayan said: "It's been close to happening for a while. Now I can focus on doing my best for the club."

Santa Cruz was bought by former Blackburn manager Mark Hughes from Bayern Munich in 2007 for £3.5M and scored 23 in 70 appearances goals in the first season. In the 2008-09 season he only managed to score 6 goals from16 appearances due to a knee problem which kept him on the sidelines for 2 the last 2 months. The paraguayan had become a target for Mark Hughes and Man City after the Abu Dhabi United group took over the club.

Said Santa Cruz on Man City' website "The owners want the club to be more successful. They want to break into the top four, and the fact that the fans are so passionate about everything to do with City was also a factor. I am very motivated to play for these fans. I know the kind of football Mark Hughes wants to play and the kind of character he is - he's a winner, he wants to make things happen and be successful. Those are always my thoughts as well, so knowing what he wants was a big factor in coming here, because I know the club is going in the right direction."
City manager Hughes said that Santa Cruz would be a key addition to his squad. He added: "His ability in the air and his physical presence are qualities we've been missing, but he also has technical ability and good pace for a big man. He's a very good player and one I know well from our time at Blackburn."

City have already signed Gareth Barry from Aston Villa for £12M, making the summer an expensive one for Mark Hughes.
It will be interesting to see how they fair against Blackburn on the first day of the new season at Ewood Park.