Premier League / Tony Calvin / 02 September 2008 / Leave a comment

As Robinho joined Manchester City in the biggest shock of the last day of the transfer window and with more big signings rumoured to be joining him in January, Manchester City's odds to win the Premiership for the first time and finish in the Top Four came tumbling down on Betfair.

What a difference a fortnight makes.

Just over two weeks ago Manchester City were beaten 1-0 at home by Midtjyalland in the UEFA Cup, crushed 4-2 away at Aston Villa in the Premier League and faced the prospect of a billionaire owner whose funds looked to be running dry.

So not too much surprise that, at this stage, their Premier League title odds leapt out to [990] on Betfair.

But they turned their European fortunes around with a penalty shoot-out success, and thumping 3-0 wins of their own against West Ham and Sunderland.

And now, having been bought yesterday by the Abu Dhabi United Group For Development and Investment, and buoyed further by the stunning £32m arrival of Robinho at Eastlands last night, a genuine gamble on them has been sparked that has seen them shorten into odds of 55, fifth favourites on Betfair.

And they are now a staggeringly short [6.5] chance to finish in the top four in the Premier League, and only [2.1] to finish in the top six.

Betfair spokesman Tony Calvin commented: "A lot of people thought Mark Hughes was mad to take on such an unsettled position at Manchester City at the start of the season.

"But he now appears to have struck gold, or should that be oil? Certainly, the odds now suggest that City have a genuine, if outside, chance of breaking into football's equivalent of Fort Knox - namely the Premier League's top four."

Over the summer Betfair offered markets on whether several high-profile Premiership players would stay at their respective clubs or move on to pastures new. Here are the highs and lows of the different players.

Barry: Yes high of [13.5] No a low of [1.06] (4 August)

Berbatov: No low of [2.0] Yes a low of [1.4] (19 August)

Keane: No high of [2.04] Yes a low of [1.8] (18th July)

Lampard: Yes high of [3.65] (21 July); No a low of [1.4]

Ronaldo: Yes high of [6.0]; No a low of [1.14] (19 June