Kia Joorabchian: Next months crucial for Carlos Tevez's Manchester City future

 

Carlos Tevez

 

Agent Kia Joorabchian has said Carlos Tevez's future with the Blues could depend on the player's wife settling in Manchester.

£50m-rated Tevez declared his wish to leave the FA Cup holders at the end of last season, but a summer of speculation came to nothing at 11pm on Wednesday when the transfer window closed.

Joorabchian said:  "There were a couple of offers in for him but obviously he is an important player for City and they won't let him go for any (old) price.

"We couldn't quite match what City wanted.

"But at the end of the day - as Carlos said at the end of the season - professionally, he is happy at the club.

"He is happy in the situation, it was more to do with his family really.

"He has managed to convince his wife to come over for a while at least.

"If she manages to settle in hopefully in the next four or five months, maybe he will settle down and things will be fine."

Joorabchian revealed a swap deal involving Inter star Wesley Sneijder was considered but City's successful pursuit of Arsenal's Samir Nasri put an end to that.

He added: "After they had signed Nasri they had too many players in that position.

"It could have been done - if Nasri hadn't gone I think that deal would have [transpired]."

The willingness to consider Inter raised eyebrows given Tevez's wish to move closer to Argentina but Joorabchian said: "Carlos is the kind of player who adapts everywhere he goes.

"He adapts to every league and has won every major domestic competition he has ever played in.

"He himself has no problem with it but, culturally, Milan or Spain would be easier for the wife to adapt to.

"She could get around and communicate better. That was the major problem but the next four or five months will be very important."

Joorabchian admitted Tevez's wage demands - he is currently thought to be on £286,000 per week - limited the number of clubs that could be considered.

He said: "You can get down to teams like Inter, who made a couple of offers and maybe Real Madrid.

"You can really narrow it down to four or five teams in the world that could afford him."

Having stayed at City, Tevez could now form important relationships with club record signing and compatriot Sergio Aguero, on and off the field.

Joorabchian added: "The wives are friends and Aguero is friends with Carlos, so it might help."

Manchester City have shown a pair of favourites the Etihad exit and given a chance to Owen Hargreaves

 

Shaun Wright-Phillips of Manchester City

 

City's transfer deadline day was like harking back to the bad old days – a couple of fans’ favourites leaving for next to nowt, and the only incoming a free agent with an injury-jinxed past and an uncertain future.

Of course, every day has been like Christmas Day for City in the past three years, and only the greediest supporters were disappointed that there were no big-money buys.

And if Owen Hargreaves can fulfil the promises he has made to manager Roberto Mancini, it could yet be a day which has a big bearing on City’s destiny this season.

Hargreaves signed a one-year deal after a day of negotiation at a secret location, the bulk of his undisclosed wages being tied to appearances.

The former United and England star has already claimed he is fit enough to play 40 games this season, but his problem now is getting match-fit and then forcing his way into a highly-competitive City midfield.

City and the publicity-shy Hargreaves chose to go through the formalities elsewhere, as media and supporters gathered at the stadium and training ground.

Hargreaves will go straight into both 25-man squads, for the Premier League and Champions League, which have to be handed in to the respective authorities by
midnight tonight.

With Gael Clichy and Stefan Savic arriving early in the summer, and then the wow factor of Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri in the past four weeks, City had done most of their business well ahead of the deadline.

On the other side, Mancini will also be delighted to have removed Craig Bellamy from the pay-roll, as he returned to Liverpool on a free transfer.

Celtic, Spurs, Sunderland and Stoke were all in the chase but Liverpool made the decisive move and Bellamy left the Wales training camp and flew north to tie up a two-year deal, after some hectic late discussions with City about a pay-off.

Bellamy had been a big favourite among City fans, not least for his two quality goals against United at Old Trafford two seasons ago, but he and Mancini could not see eye to eye and he spent last season on loan at Cardiff.

Shaun Wright-Phillips followed Bellamy out of the door with a £4m move to QPR.

The little winger cost the Blues £9million when he returned from Chelsea three years ago, but has found his first-team chances limited as City have heavily bolstered their squad.

“I just want to say a big thank you to the City fans for the support they have given me in my ten years of service there,” said Wright-Phillips.

“I will never forget you and there is always a Blue spot in my heart.”

With Roque Santa Cruz, Vladimir Weiss and Emmanuel Adebayor departing on loan last week, to Real Betis, Espanyol and Tottenham respectively, City managed most of the housekeeping they desired during this window.

They also farmed out three youngsters on loan for the season yesterday, with last season’s leading reserves scorer John Guidetti going to Feyenoord, defender Ryan McGivern heading for Bristol City and Ahmed Benali going to Rochdale.

One big deal which has not happened in this window was the departure of Carlos Tevez, whose move to Corinthians collapsed over a month ago.

A source close to the Argentinian conceded it was “impossible” for Tevez to leave as Inter Milan could not afford the £40m asking price.

Nedum Onuoha and Wayne Bridge also remain at City.

Onuoha was hoping for a move to Bolton if Gary Cahill left the Reebok to join Spurs, but that deal fell apart and a last-minute bid to set up a loan to Everton ran out of time.

Onuoha may have paid the price of employing Tevez’s adviser Kia Joorabchian – perhaps the least popular man at City – to try to push through a deal.

Bridge turned down a loan to Celtic but both players now appear to be in limbo at the Etihad Stadium.

Mario Balotelli was at the centre of an early alert when his personal page on the club’s official website went down on the morning of deadline day, prompting talk of a move to AC Milan.

James Milner and Adam Johnson were also subject of unlikely rumours.

A hoaxer opened a fake Twitter account claiming to be Liverpool star Stewart Downing, and his false Tweet that Milner had left the England training camp in the morning started a rumour that he was heading for Liverpool, a rumour quickly quashed.

There was then talk Adam Johnson might head out on loan – again, a big no-no as far as Mancini is concerned – with Liverpool and Stoke hopeful again.

Owen Hargreaves signs one-year deal with Manchester City

 

Hargreaves managed just four appearances in three seasons 

 

Manchester City have signed Owen Hargreaves on a one-year deal.

Hargreaves, 30, who was released by Manchester United after four injury-blighted years at Old Trafford, had a medical at City on Tuesday.
The Calgary-born England international will train with his new team-mates at Carrington on Thursday.
Hargreaves had been linked with West Bromwich Albion before emerging as a shock target for City coach Roberto Mancini.
City keeper Joe Hart was visibly stunned when the news of the former Bayern Munich midfielder's possible arrival as a new team-mate was revealed to him during a media briefing while he was on England duty ahead of the Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Wales.
He responded when told of the deal: "Pardon? Is he? Wowzers. Where's that come from? Really? I don't know what to make of that. That's been put right on my toes.
"It could be a massive signing. You can tell how important he was.

"I've never been involved with him but I saw a lot of him before and how highly he was regarded when he was at Bayern Munich and at Manchester United.
"He's a huge player and if he's fit and a part of Man City, he'll be another great signing."
City defender Joleon Lescott added: "Owen is an experienced player, he has played in the Champions League, is an international. It is only going to be good for the City squad if he signs.
"People ask if it represents a gamble but the club know what they are doing, Owen knows what he is doing. He is still a good player.
"If we can get him fit, I'm sure it won't be very long before he is back to his best. He will be a player with a point to prove after his injuries."
But United striker Wayne Rooney fears his former team-mate will find it difficult to get back to his best.
"He worked really hard and got back last season, played one game and then got a hamstring injury," Rooney said.
"He's been out for a couple of years. I think it will be difficult for him to get back to his best. I hope he can do so.
"From an England point of view he was a type of midfield player that we hadn't really had before.
"If he can get back that would be great but it will be difficult for him."
Hargreaves was England's star performer at the World Cup in Germany in 2006 before joining United for £18m the following year.
Hargreaves played in the 2008 Champions League final victory over Chelsea in Moscow but then began to suffer with knee problems, restricting him to four appearances in three seasons.
He lasted just 10 minutes of his comeback against Wolves last September and United opted not to renew his contract as a result.

Carlos Tevez set to come in from the cold at Manchester City

 

Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez

 

Frustrated Carlos Tevez is set to come in from the cold in Manchester City’s next match.

The Blues face Wigan at the Etihad Stadium on September 10 – and Tevez is pencilled in for his first start of the season.

He has been sidelined by both club and country, with Sergio Aguero replacing him in both teams, and the red-hot form of Edin Dzeko also squeezing him out at Eastlands.

But Tevez’s chop from the Argentina squad means he is now favourite to step back in for the Blues, unless someone launches a late bid before the transfer window closes tomorrow.

Of City’s first-team squad, only Tevez, Gael Clichy and the injured Nigel de Jong are not on international duty this week.

Aguero faces a long-haul trip to India and Bangladesh for Argentina’s exhibition matches against Venezuela and Nigeria – and that will be key in Roberto Mancini’s thinking, as the latter match takes place just three days before the Wigan clash.

That match begins a hectic period of seven games in the space of three weeks, including Champions League clashes with Napoli – just four days after Wigan – and Bayern Munich.

Mancini has also said Tevez, the last player to return to pre-season training, will be back to 100 per cent by next week.

Aguero has revealed that Tevez has found it tough being dropped by City and Argentina, but backed him to come back strongly.

“We have spent a lot of time together and we talk about everything, and I know he is a little bit frustrated,” said Aguero.

“As we all know, it’s up to the coach to decide who plays, and who doesn’t. I am sure we will both have our chances here at City and with Argentina. I hope he stays and we play many games together, but it’s up to Roberto Mancini to make that decision.”

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Manchester City 5:

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

1 - 5

FT

MANCHESTER CITY

Sunday, August 28 13:30

Premier League

White Hart Lane

Kaboul (68)

(HT 0-2) ATT: 36,150

Dzeko (34, 41, 55, 90+3) Agüero (60)

Awesome twosome: Edin Dzeko and Samir Nasri have forged an instant relationship and both shone in thrashing Tottenham 

This was one for the thesaurus. A match to have a reporter struggling for superlatives, just as Younes Kaboul was left trailing Edin Dzeko and Michael Dawson clutching at air as Sergio Agüero powered past.

Adjectives, almost, were not enough to sum up events, to sum up Manchester City on this day. So let’s just settle on one, and borrow it from Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas. City, he claimed last week, looked “amazing”.

On Sunday they were amazing – amazing ability, amazing organisation, amazing belief and an amazing victory. A real cause of wonderment. The Harlem Globetrotters of the Premier League with a ring of steel in defence.

Tottenham Hotspur weren’t beaten. They were picked off. The assassin was Dzeko, who scored four well-crafted goals, but he was aided by a triumvirate of tricksters behind him — Agüero with, either side of him, David Silva and Samir Nasri, who produced a sumptuous performance on his debut after his protracted £23 million move from Arsenal. Nasri left the pitch with a Cheshire Cat grin, striding alongside Dzeko who clutched the match ball.

“So, what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?” parody chat-show host Mrs Merton (aka Caroline Aherne) once asked his wife Debbie McGee.

A similar line of loaded humour could apply to Nasri who now has the bucks — and the bang. Why had he joined City? Why wouldn’t he? This is a team of genuine title contenders.
Here, also, was Dzeko, a £27 million recruit last January who scored just once in 14 league games, showing exactly what all the fuss was about and why every leading club — including Spurs — had dabbled with signing him. He became the first City striker to score four goals in a Premier League game and now has, with the Community Shield, struck seven times in four matches.
For City, it’s three league games, 12 goals and nine points. For Spurs, it’s eight goals conceded against the Manchester clubs inside a week — and no points.
With the uncertainty over Luka Modric’s future still troubling, it has been a difficult start to the campaign for Spurs and manager Harry Redknapp.
He 'went for it’ on Sunday — pitching Modric in alongside his countryman, Niko Kranjcar, in the centre of midfield in an attacking formation.
It was a brave policy — and one that meant opportunities were traded. Nasri should have given City the lead when Brad Friedel beat out Silva’s snap shot only to mis-hit wide. But then Gareth Bale skied over when Peter Crouch flicked on a cross. Before that Joe Hart had, twice, dealt with fierce shots from Rafael van der Vaart.
A goal was inevitable and it came with Gareth Barry and Nasri combining and then the Frenchman playing a one-two with Agüero before he finally delivered. Dzeko, showing a poacher’s instinct, strained ahead of Kaboul to poke the ball home.
There was then the contest’s pivotal passage: Crouch blazed a header over, from Bale’s driven cross, and immediately City countered with Nasri running free down the left, picking out Dzeko with another cross and the striker, leaning backwards, twisted his neck to send his header across Friedel and into the net.
Dzeko then claimed his hat-trick. With City’s movement beguiling Spurs once more, Yaya Touré overlapped Agüero, who had rolled the ball towards the byeline.
Touré ran on and centred low for Dzeko to turn the ball home. Agüero then struck, and the way in which he brushed aside Dawson, before lifting the ball over Friedel from the angle provoked the City bench to stand and applaud.
Spurs hit back when Hart pushed over substitute Jermain Defoe’s dipping shot and from the corner Kaboul powered his header into the goal.
Although the introduction of Jake Livermore added some bite into the Spurs midfield (he replaced the distracted Modric) any hopes of salvaging some respectability ended when Van der Vaart limped off after tearing a hamstring, reducing Spurs to 10 men.
Dzeko saved the best until last. The last kick, in fact. Deep in injury-time he attacked the corner of the Spurs area again, slipping a pass into Barry’s feet.
The midfielder, in front of England manager Fabio Capello, capped a fine performance by rolling the ball invitingly back towards Dzeko who struck a first-time shot that curled around Friedel and ruffled the net one last time. Amazing.

Micah Richards signs new Manchester City contract

 

Richards returned to the England squad earlier this month 

 

Micah Richards has signed a new four-year contract at Manchester City.

The defender, who came through the club's academy, has made nearly 200 appearances for City since his debut as a 17-year-old in October 2005.
Richards has established himself as the club's first choice right-back, despite the transfer riches available to City.
He was recalled to the England squad earlier this month for the Netherlands game, which was later postponed because of riots in London.

Shaun Wright-Phillips set for talks with three clubs

 

Shaun Wright-Phillips

 

Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips is to hold discussions with QPR and two other clubs over a potential move, his agent has confirmed.

The 29-year-old has fallen down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium as a result of their huge investment on players in recent years.

Wright-Phillips has also been linked heavily with Bolton over the summer.

Agent Wayne Lindsay said: "There have been three bids accepted, one from QPR, and at some point he will be speaking to all those clubs."

Wright-Phillips is one of a number of players at City, also including Craig Bellamy, Nedum Onuoha, Wayne Bridge and Roque Santa Cruz, who appear surplus to requirements.

All could potentially move on before next Wednesday's transfer deadline while another player, Emmanuel Adebayor, joined Tottenham on loan on Thursday.

England international Wright-Phillips rejoined City for a second spell in 2008 in the hope of reviving his career after a frustrating three years with Chelsea.

Yet despite a good relationship with current City boss Roberto Mancini, he has been unable to win a regular first-team place.