ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE:CARLOS TEVEZ remains determined to explore the possibilities of a summer move to Spain or Italy despite Roberto Mancini's declaration that the Argentinian had informed Manchester City he had changed his mind and now wanted to remain at Eastlands.
Tevez has been described as surprised and taken aback by Mancini’s comments after the defeat of Stoke City on Tuesday, when the striker reiterated his importance to the team with two outstanding goals.
Mancini said he had spoken to Tevez on several occasions before and after the FA Cup final and that “he has said he wants to stay”. The Italian repeated this several times, in complete contradiction to the account from the player’s side that his stance has not changed.
City’s captain has told associates he is disappointed by the remarks, believing it to be some clever and political positioning on the part of his manager.
Tevez has a meeting with his adviser, Kia Joorabchian, next week to discuss his options, his favoured one being a move to Real Madrid or Internazionale. Whether that is feasible is not certain, with City valuing him in the region of €57 million, plus a weekly salary of about €284,000 to be taken into consideration.
However, the Tevez camp will look into whether it can be arranged, in part because of the player’s desire to make it easier to see his two young daughters, Florencia and Katia.
They live in Buenos Aires with his former partner Vanessa, and the thinking is that if Tevez moved to mainland Europe they might be persuaded to move with him.
Tevez is frustrated that his family issues are often overlooked, pointing out that it would also be easier, in terms of direct flights, for him to travel to and from Argentina if he lived in, say, Madrid. Vanessa speaks only Spanish and did not embrace life in Manchester.
At the same time Tevez is also aware that City will be playing in the Champions League next season and may be in a position to make an authentic title challenge. He knows, too, that he is the best-paid player in English football, so there are considerations in favour of staying. Overall, however, it is almost certain he will press ahead with his plans to investigate whether a move can be arranged.
About the only certainty for now is that Tevez would leave an enormous void if he were to depart this summer. His two goals against Stoke City have moved him alongside Dimitar Berbatov of Manchester United as the Premier League’s top scorer, both having found the net 20 times. Tevez has 52 goals in 85 appearances for the club.
“Everyone knows what kind of player Carlos is and how important he is for the squad,” the midfielder Nigel de Jong said. “It’s not only his goalscoring, it’s his work rate.
“He’s compact and small but he wins every battle with every defender. Where else do you see that? Where else can you find a striker similar to him?
“The answer is there are very few, maybe a couple of others in the world. He is one of the greats at the moment so it’s important for the club that he stays. Everybody hopes that he will, but it’s not a case of him wanting to go somewhere else. It’s a family thing.
“If the gaffer has said that he’s staying, it’s a pleasure to hear. But we’ll just have to hope and see what happens next season.”
Meanwhile, Jermain Defoe admits he might have to consider his future at Tottenham Hotspur after revealing his frustrations at his bit-part role this season.
The England striker has endured a disappointing season, in which a serious injury on international duty early on was followed by a struggle to establish himself in Harry Redknapp’s starting XI. Normally prolific, Defoe has scored only four Premier League goals, with five more coming in the cup competitions. With opportunities limited, he has found it difficult to find his rhythm.
Defoe is angry that his professionalism and best efforts in training have failed to result in a breakthrough and, privately, he feels that he has been the biggest victim of Redknapp’s desire to accommodate Rafael van der Vaart, who signed from Real Madrid last summer.
“I want to help the club achieve things, win trophies and get in the Champions League, but when you feel like you are working hard, training hard and being professional, and then for some reason you are not playing, it is difficult,” Defoe said.
“It is frustrating. I am ambitious. I want to play in every game and score goals, especially when you score goals for a fantastic club like Tottenham. I think my record shows that. Players come and go, that is just football and it is out of my hands.”
Guardian Service
