Manchester City spent £38m on Lescott and Toure but all it's bought them is a soft centre

By Stan Collymore

Published 23:00 08/11/09

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Manchester City spent £38million this summer on Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure, but the pair look incompatible at the centre of the team’s defence.

I was at Eastlands to see City record their fifth successive draw in the Premier League with a 3-3 result at home to promoted Burnley.

It was blatantly obvious what their problems are - and that is at the heart of their defence.

There are no problems with City’s midfield or their attacking options.

But Lescott and Toure, who cost £22million and £16m apiece from Everton and Arsenal respectively this summer, are not up to the job.

On Saturday against Burnley, Clarke Carlisle and Steven Caldwell, who cost only £400,000 in total, looked a far superior pairing.

It just goes to show you don’t always get what you pay for.

And I think City have paid ridiculously over the odds for Lescott and Toure.

City could have got away with playing either Lescott or Toure alongside a rugged no-nonsense stopper like Nemanja Vidic or Brede Hangeland or dare I say a Richard Dunne.

Then you would have a balance between a ball player and a pure defender.

But Lescott and Toure together are too soft and too flaky.

And if City boss Mark Hughes is still at the club in January then he has to strengthen their defence.

Selling Dunne to Aston Villa for £5m this summer also looks a massive mistake.

As a Villa fan I am absolutely delighted that we got him because he likes to defend and attack the ball in the air.

He and James Collins have settled in superbly at Villa and Dunne has already scored twice.

The Republic of Ireland international represents far better value than either Lescott or Toure, who I think in a sensible market would have gone for around £8m each.

By contrast I was very impressed with Burnley, who I now believe can stay up, despite tipping them for the drop at the outset of the campaign.

There is no doubt they have the manager, team spirit and playing personnel, if they keep them all fit, to comfortably stay in the Premier League.

They may still struggle because they haven’t got the biggest squad in the world.

But the way they played at City showed a lot of character and they created chances galore.

So I will be absolutely delighted to eat my words if the Clarets avoid the drop under manager Owen Coyle.