Milner moves to City at last

Every summer there's a transfer saga which stretches on and on until everyone's sick of it, and the latest one has just come to an end.

The inevitable move of James Milner from Aston Villa to Manchester City look set to be completed with in the next day after the two clubs finally agreed a deal thought to be worth around £24 million.

Not only will this put to bed a story that has been running for months, but it should also help facilitate a few other transfers.

With a bit of extra money, Villa should splash some cash themselves and no doubt this will lead to a trickledown effect as Premier League clubs get rid of their deadwood and try to pick up a bargain.

Given the size of the price tag there can be no doubt the selling club have got the best side of the deal in this transfer. Milner cost them "just" £12 million from Newcastle, and the north-east side must be regretting not including a sell-on clause in the contract.

It will be interesting to see how this latest big money transfer impacts on Milner. He's shown mental fortitude in the past, not least when his first potential move from Newcastle to Aston Villa broke down.

However, life at Manchester City will be a different proposition altogether. Not only will all eyes be on him as he's now one of the most expensive English footballers around, but he may find himself being left out of the side on a regular basis. With all those stars, the best odds for Premier League games will usually make City favourite whether Milner plays or not.

He need only look at Shay Given and Craig Bellamy to see how quickly a City player can go from first-team regular to surplus to requirements.

Of course, over the course of the next season he has a good chance of winning silverware and will pick up a hefty pay packet, so there's every chance the move is the right one and many people will no doubt back him to score as one of their football predictions for the weekend.