EDITORIAL: Y'know, Sparky could do worse than Patrick Vieira. After failing to prise John Terry away from Chelsea, Mark Hughes knows Manchester City will miss the England captain's influence as much off the pitch as on it.
City's buying spree has assembled an exciting group of readymade Premiership performers, on paper at least. But without the hardened edge Terry's leadership would have brought to Eastlands, there remain doubts about whether their millionaires will be willing to dig in at Turf Moor, or handle a fullhouse at Emirates stadium with Champions League football on the line.
Will Robinho go missing again when the weather turns cold? Will Carlos Tevez handle a rotation policy under Hughes when he kicked back so angrily against it at Manchester United? These doubts wouldn't exist if someone of the presence of Vieira was holding court inside the City locker room.
Yes, just as with Terry, Hughes will be importing leadership and counting on Vieira's strength of character to unite a foreign dressing room. But he's well capable of doing it.
Whether it's the dress code, or tracking back, can you imagine Robinho challenging Vieira's authority?
With the Frenchman onside, Hughes will be able short circuit the wait usually required to establish a culture that will drive his players to produce consistently, whether it's in sunshine or snow.
Football-wise, Vieira's arrival makes sense.
At 33, he's still capable of meeting City's top six expectations over the next two years, while not appearing a long-term threat to young players like Michael Johnson and Nigel de Jong. Buying Vieira ahead of Arsenal and Tottenham would deal a blow to their immediate rivals - and can you imagine United's reaction to seeing their nemesis pull on a Sky Blue shirt next season? Forget the Tevez billboard, if City really want to wind-up the Red half of Manchester, bringing Vieira back to England would rankle even the most level-headed United fan.
But it's what Vieira offers away from the pitch which would be of most value.
The players at Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea have all highlighted United's lack of success against the top four last season. But it was Sir Alex's men that comfortably won the league for a third straight time. That hard, united, aggressive edge created by the manager and maintained by a senior leadership group is what has set the champions apart.
It was what Hughes experienced at United when they finally broke their title drought. Yes, the football was thrilling, but it was also ruthless and aggressive, borne out of characters like the City manager, Paul Ince and Steve Bruce.
This is what City are currently missing. They need someone who will grab teammates by the collar when a game is threatening to get away. They need someone who will eyeball the opposition in the players' race before entering the field. They need a winner, whose attitude will filter down to the young players coming through the academy system. They need Vieira.
In Terry, Hughes saw someone who could help shape a new culture at City to last a generation. But their money wasn't enough.
The void is still there. City need leaders and Hughes could do a lot worse than bring World Cup winner Vieira to Eastlands for the next two years.
