Martin O'Neill, "Back to the Future" !!

[bennythedip2]

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill fears Manchester City could "change the dimension" of the January transfer market.

City - owned by Abu Dhabi United Group - have been linked with a host of star names as the New Year approaches, with Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas reportedly the latest player to be targeted.

Abu Dhabi United Group are spearheaded by billionaire Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is eager to finance transfers in an attempt to transform City into one of the most successful clubs in the world.

And Villa boss O'Neill, who could go head-to-head with City for Blackburn forward Roque Santa Cruz, fears Premier clubs struggling in the current global financial crisis will feel the impact of the Eastlands outfit's wealth.

"Maybe Manchester City could come in in January and make everything look second rate by what they do," O'Neill said in the Daily Mail.

"I have no inside track on this but you get the impression: Credit crunch? What credit crunch?

"If the rumours are true that they are talking about paying twice as much for players then that might change the whole dimensions of everything.

"Where does that leave the rest of us? There could be a knock-on effect and if I didn't think that then I would feel January might be relatively quiet. But City could really explode the transfer market."

Yes, 2009 will be interesting...benny