WHILEBermudian soccer fans will be glued to the TVfor the next month, they will also be keeping a close eye on the developments at Manchester City. And Wolverhampton Wanderers are also following the goings-on at City with keen interest, taking notice of the imminent double-signing of Frenchman Nicolas Anelka from Paris Saint Germain and Argentinian Vicente Matias Nuoso for a reported fee of 16 million pounds.

If successful that would take the number of strikers at City to six and while Alioune Toure is reported to be headed to PSG in part of the deal for Anelka, it is almost certain that somebody else will be leaving Maine Road.

The focus of Wolves' attention is top scorer Shaun Goater who, at 32, is the oldest of the strikers. English newspapers stated last weekend that Wolves manager Dave Jones was ready to make a second attempt to sign Goater if the Blues completed the signing of Anelka.

Jones is not about to be put off by last summer's failed two million pound bid which City rejected. He knows City may soon be forced to sell and Goater's availability would certainly pique his interest.

Jones is known to be looking to boost his strikeforce for next term and Goater is high on his shopping list. Wolves failed in their push for promotion last season, despite leading the First Division late in the season and finishing as the second highest scorers in the division behind City. They know Goater, whose goals led City to promotion three times in four years, could be the man to finally get them into the top division.

But will the player want to spend another season in the First Division, even with the prospect of helping one of the founding members and sleeping giants of the Football League realise their dream of returning to the elite division?

The player will no doubt want to stay at Maine Road and fight for his spot and fulfill his dream of playing in the Premier League. He has stated he would be happy to finish his playing days at Maine Road, a club he has grown to love.

And nobody could question Goater's loyalty to Manchester City. He joined them in March 1998 when they were on the brink of relegation from the First Division...leaving Bristol City who were a couple of wins away from promotion into the First Division. Goater has always insisted he never regretted leaving a promotion-bound club for one headed in the opposition direction.

Then, when his country needed him for World Cup qualifying matches, Goater put his club first and stayed to help them in their push for promotion. For four straight years Goater has led the City scoring, more than repaying the 400,000 pounds City paid out for him. But loyalty may count for nothing if City, with six strikers (all younger than Goater), decide the Bermudian is the odd man out. It probably won't matter that he needs just three more goals to become the 15th City player to score 100 goals for the club. His 97 goals have already made him a legend amongst the City fans far and wide.

Here are some of their comments on a Manchester website following the news that the club had signed Anelka and was closing in on the 20-year-old Argentinian:

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"Even though I am a big fan of his, I am sorry to say that I would sell Shaun Goater. At his age we will get nothing for him in two-three years, particularly if he does not get a chance to impress in the Premiership." - PD Blue, Manchester not London.

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"Keegan shouldn't sell any players unless he has to. Last season he had a great team performance and if some of the new players don't fit in then he may need those old faces to add stability to the team - just ask Alex Ferguson, ha, ha!" - Roger Pearson, Torquay.

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"No, if Keegan can keep them all happy and the board lets him keep them, then don't get rid of any - you can't have too many strikers in the Premier League." - Serim Sokun, Manchester.

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"I'm also a huge fan of the Goat, possibly one of our best ever signings in terms of value for money, and he comes across as a top bloke. But it would seem daft to have him third or fourth reserve up front when we could get decent money from him from a big Division One club. Surely Wolves would fancy the Goat leading them out of Div One next season? Surely we can't just keep on buying, we need to sell as well - and do we really need seven first team squad centre halves?" - Rick Day, Cheltenham.

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"It is just not logical to keep buying players, without off-loading some. Yes it is good to have a fair sized squad, but four strikers is the maximum we can think of keeping. The real question is not can we keep them all but who goes. There is something good to be said in favour of every one of them, but I am afraid its the Goat and Wanchope who are probably the most likely to go." - John Yates, Brixham Devon.

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"It would be unjust to deny the Goat another chance to play in the Premiership and show he can cut it after doing so much to bring City there. Last time he was injured at the start and never really got on track. Give him a fair shot at earning a spot in the side and producing the goods. He can be sold to the First Division later in the year if he is not contributing anything, probably for almost as much as City could get now. Besides Wanchope has been injury prone and if Anelka comes there will always be some unpredictability there. I agree that Keegan should aim to keep then all there at least for the time being, unless someone wants out." - Thad Williamson, Cambridge, MA, USA.

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"I don't think we should sell Goater. OK, we could sell him now and get some money for him, but it's not just about the money. I think the club should show him some loyalty. I'd rather see him end his playing career with us and give him something back for all he's given us over the last few years. Even as a sub, I think he'll still be a threat." - City Bird, London.