Despite the regulars at Old Trafford making their feelings on
the matter very clear, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson
has yet to offer Carlos Tevez a permanent contract, which may force
the Argentine to look elsewhere this summer.
In all competitions last season Tevez played 38 matches, scoring
19 goals in the process, and played the full 120 minutes of the
Champions League final against Chelsea, scoring his kick in the
penalty shoot-out.
A member of United’s ‘fab four’ along with Wayne Rooney,
Cristiano Ronaldo and Dimitar Berbatov, Tevez has seen his first
team playing time reduced this season; relegated to a supporting
role from the bench more often than not, throwing into doubt his
long term future at the club.
What is his current deal at United?
United signed Tevez on a complicated two-year loan arrangement
from West Ham, with a fee paid each season to the company headed by
Kia Joorabchian that retains his economic rights.
That deal expires at the end of the season meaning United will
have to buy him outright or risk seeing him join another club.
Does he want to stay?
Beloved by the fans who admire the industrious high energy
performances he produces from first minute to last, Tevez has
spoken openly about his desire to stay at the club. However, since
the turn of the year his statements have become more resigned to a
departure.
“There are many players and they all need to play but I have not
played important matches,” he told an Argentinian radio Station
this month.
“As a player I can’t permit myself to play one game, but not
another. I see it very difficult to stay with Manchester United.
That’s the reality. You can score three or four goals and not play
in the next game. It gets to your head. I need to play.”
How much would it cost?
Tevez is valued by Joorabchian at £32 million and that is the
price that any other club would have to meet to sign him, though
with United having already paid £5 million-a-year for his loan they
would only be asked to make up the balance. Because United have no
ownership claims on Tevez, should another club buy him they would
receive nothing.
Why haven’t United offered him a contract yet?
Ferguson is an admirer of Tevez but faces the juggling act of
accommodating four world class forwards, with Tevez effectively
Rooney’s understudy. The £30 million signing of Berbatov last
summer is the reason Tevez’s playing time has dropped, with the
manager using him in the cup competitions more than the league,
where he has featured just 16 times, nine of those as
substitute.
His typically bustling and committed display against Arsenal
this week was his first start in the knock-out stages of the
Champions League this season.
As such, the prospect of spending £22 million on a player who is
effectively a reserve may be unpalatable to Ferguson, who could use
the money to strengthen elsewhere.
What are United’s options?
Most supporters would want to see the club sign Tevez
permanently but Ferguson – who likes to get his business in the
transfer market dealt with in the shortest amount of time possible
– has shown a lack of willingness to do so.
Tevez’s future may well be entwined with Ronaldo’s. The
possibility of the Portuguese finally moving to Real Madrid this
summer is great, as is Franck Ribery moving to Old Trafford to
replace him. Theoretically that should leave Ferguson with a
surplus to add to whatever budget the Glazer family give him to
spend and so be able to meet the asking price for Tevez.
However, the advancing years of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs as
well as a lack of depth in defensive cover means Ferguson will be
looking to spend in other departments. The devastating impact of
Federico Macheda on United’s Premier League title defence may have
been such that he feels able to let Tevez move on without
dramatically weakening his striking options.
What are Tevez’s options?
Tevez has claimed that he has received “many offers” from a host
of clubs with Real Madrid at the front of the queue. Inter Milan
and Manchester City have also asked to be kept informed of
developments while most recently Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has
been linked with an audacious move for the Argentine.