Poster boy: Manchester City's title hopes
could be over if Carlos Tevez goes
It is surely no coincidence that in the week when
Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, suddenly appeared happy and
announced he had the backing of the owner and money to spend,
Carlos Tevez asked to leave Manchester City.
Chelsea is the only game left for Tevez in England now. He
has burnt his bridges at Manchester United, Liverpool are currently
off the radar as a destination for major talent and Arsenal do not
sign £30million players. We don't know why, they just don't. Tevez
would be too rich for Tottenham's blood, too.
This leaves Chelsea, and a serious challenge to progress
at City. Until now, all the talk has been of persuading world class
players to join the club; nobody contemplated that as early as this
winter they would need to coax one to stay. Trouble was predicted
if City finished fourth or worse, but in the summer, not
now.
Bottom line: the Tevez issue shows how hard it is for a
club, no matter its spending power, to break into the elite.
Chelsea had been improving gradually for years when Jose Mourinho
took over. He was the icing on the cake. By contrast, City had
barely come back from the shops with the ingredients when Roberto
Mancini arrived. Is it any wonder their concept seems at times
half-baked?
Tevez is selfless on the field,
but high maintenance off it.
Occasionally, both elements of
his nature emerge, as happened at Bolton. After his usual hard
shift, Tevez confronted Mancini on the touchline when
substituted.
The City boss took a huge risk
this season by adding Mario Balotelli to an already incendiary mix
at the club. Tevez has clashed with the Italy striker as well as
his manager, and is said to be unhappy with the way the club is
run.
For all the talk of homesickness
and disenchantment with football, unless Tevez wants out to return
to play in South America - or makes good on a threat to retire from
football completely - few will believe his transfer request is
motivated by personal rather than professional matters.
If the opportunity that piques
his interest is a move to Chelsea, Tevez will be derided and his
current employers made a laughing stock.
Selling him would represent a
far greater public humiliation than the failed bid for Kaka, given
the capital City made out of Tevez's signing when it
happened.
Sir Alex Ferguson has always
seemed disproportionately furious at those 'Welcome to Manchester'
posters. He will be revelling in this.
What happens next is
fascinating. City - as expected - have rejected the transfer
request, but the story does not necessarily end there.
They can afford to keep Tevez,
but a disaffected player is of no use, particularly if his mood
alters and his form dries up, as it did for the Argentina star in
the early months of last season.
If City are ultimately driven to
sell, particularly to Chelsea, their mission will be publicly
redefined. The elite do not lose important contracted players to
major rivals and, if they do, it is looked upon as a sign of
weakness. If Tevez were sold to Chelsea, major transfer targets
would look at City and wonder.
Talisman: Selling Tevez to Chelsea would be a
potentially fatal blow for City
The damage would be felt long
beyond January and only winning the Barclays Premier League could
reverse it. Can City achieve this without Tevez?
His goals this season include
winners against Chelsea, Blackpool and Bolton; it is hard to
imagine City in the top four without him, let alone as
champions.
Yet if Sheik Mansour insists he
stays - and remember this is no tantrum, but a formal, written
transfer request made after talks with Garry Cook, the chief
executive - tensions would rise. Such are the growing pains of a
wannabe elite club.
Lose Mancini, and City bow to
player power; lose Tevez, and the title may go to Stamford Bridge
with him; keep both, and the training ground is a powder keg. Only
City could wake up to a headache like this on the day they go joint
top of the Premier League.
Welcome to Manchester? They most
certainly are.
