It's now 10 months since Manchester City threatened to sheikh up the football world, and I'm still waiting for the Big Bang!

Within hours of being taken over at the end of August by the Abu Dhabi-based United Group Investment and Development syndicate (that's another way of saying filthy-rich oil magnates) in a £200m buy-out, City were racing around trying to sign just about every world-class player you cared to name.

They were prepared to throw their new, gold-plated cheque book at Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo; the price and wages were of no consequence.

They became so desperate, as the transfer window clock ticked down, that they rushed through a record-breaking £32.5m deal for Robinho from Real Madrid – a player they have since admitted in the Spanish papers they would have been willing to let go for £20m.

So where would City splash their new-gotten wealth in the January transfer window? Kaka and Ronaldo again? Lionel Messi or Andres Iniesta at Barcelona? Cesc Fabregas at Arsenal? No chance!

Where have City been with their massed millions while Real Madrid have picked off Kaka and Ronaldo and Karim Benzema from Lyon for a combined total in the region of £200m?

Mark Hughes's idea of making an assault on the Premier League title was to sign Wayne Bridge, second fiddle to Ashley Cole at Chelsea, Craig Bellamy, who has worked his way around several Premier League clubs without ever making a crushing impression, and Shay Given, who had spent the best years of his playing life trying to stave off the inevitable erosion of Newcastle United.

So why is it that when he has carte blanche to shop at Harrods, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols, Hughes continues to scratch around the bargain basement at Primark?

Surely he has to raise his sights above £12m Gareth Barry (is that £1m for each of the fairly uneventful 12 years he has spent at fairly unspectacular Aston Villa?) and £17m Roque Santa Cruz (is that £2.4m for each of the 23 goals he scored in 57 games for Blackburn over two seasons?).

Hughes has raised his game slightly by apparently promising to give Carlos Tevez an inter-City pass from Manchester United to Eastlands. One assumes that City are prepared to pay the £25.5m being demanded by the Argentinian's 'owner', Kia Joorabchian.

And it looks as though they are still in with a shout to sign Samuel Eto'o from Barcelona, although the situation is clouded in mystery as Barca insist they want to keep him and are offering him a new two or three-year contract, depending on which newspaper you read.

So if Hughes is really serious about taking City to levels they have only been dreaming of, what's wrong with one, two, three, or all four, of the following:

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Swedish international striker who has scored 154 goals in 348 appearances with Malmo, Ajax, Juventus and Inter Milan, and rated by Inter president and owner Massimo Moratti as the best striker in world football. Italian clubs are always desperate for money so £40-£50m should do the trick.

Ruud van Nistelrooy: Now wouldn't that be a smack in the eye for Fergie! Rumour has it that the former United goal machine isn't thrilled with life at Real Madrid, especially after the arrival of the new Galacticos, and is looking to return to the Premier League. If Florentino Perez wants to recoup some of the Kaka-Ronaldo-Benzema  outlay, then a £30m City bid might do the trick.

David Villa: Fernando Torres' Spanish strike partner is reluctant to leave Valencia, despite reported interest from Real and Manchester United, and although they won't readily admit it, Valencia, like most Spanish clubs, are in financial difficulties. If City charge in like they did for Robinho, anything could happen.

Of course he could always go for Franck Ribery. Bayern Munich say the flying French winger is not for sale, but since when has that stopped any club selling if the price is right? Done the rounds with seven clubs in four different countries in the last eight years, but has amazing pace and comes up with the occasional wonder goal. Bayern would find it hard to turn down £40m.

What are you waiting for, Sparky?