FRANNY BLASTS TEVEZ
Manchester City legend Francis Lee tells BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek that there is "no way back" for Carlos Tevez after his apparent refusal to play in their 2-0 Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich.
Lee describes the striker's behaviour as "unforgivable", and does not understand why he did not want to play in the "pinnacle" of the Champions League.
The former City chairman adds that Tevez and his agent have a "problem" and they cannot "mess Man City around". http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15137091.stm
Real Madrid consider swap deal for Manchester City misfit
Spanish giants Real Madrid are considering a player plus cash swap for Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez who according to the City manager Roberto Mancini, is “finished” at the club.
With City at the end of their tether for the wantaway Argentine, who was reported to have refused to play against Bayern Munich in their recent Champions League defeat, they are now prepared to listen to very much any serious offer in January with Real Madrid considering a small cash sum plus defensive midfielder and Germany international Sami Khedira.
The 24 year old is rumoured to a player that Madrid could be prepared to sell on in January and it is believed they would rather use him in exchange for Tevez than stomp up a larger transfer fee. The summer saw Manchester City looking for at least £40m for Tevez with both Real Madrid and Italian side Inter Milan interested.
Neither were prepared to match City’s estimation however and with the Manchester club now looking to get rid of Tevez as quickly as possible, it is likely they will accept something closer to £25m for the 27 year old. The player had previously suggested over the summer that he would prefer to head back to his native Argentina but with few sides in South America able to pay his wages, let alone the transfer fee, a move to either Spain or Italy does seem more realistic.
Should Manchester City and Real Madrid agree to a switch then there is likely to be more pressure on Real’s strikers with the club already having Benzema and Higuain on their books.
Although it is far too early to confirm a move to the Spanish capital will happen, it is certainly the most likely scenario for a player who no longer looks to be wanted in the English Premiership.
Alan Hansen: Manchester City outcast Carlos Tévez leaves a gap but manager Roberto Mancini must hold firm
There can be no doubt that Carlos Tévez is finished as a Manchester City player after his refusal to play against Bayern Munich on Tuesday, but his actions have also left the club and Roberto Mancini in an impossible situation.
Mancini is correct in taking strong action by saying Tévez will never play for him again and the only possible outcome at the end of the sorry saga will be City deciding to get rid of the player.
But aside from the unwanted distraction that Tévez has caused and the disharmony that his actions could lead to, he has also left City worryingly reliant on three forwards, none of whom can match the 27 year-old’s proven credentials in the Premier League.
When Sergio Agüero limped out of Saturday’s victory at Blackburn with a first-half groin injury, all of a sudden, City were left with only two strikers in Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko.
Even if Agüero’s injury proves, as expected, to be a short-term problem, Mancini must negotiate the next few months with only three strikers – or two strikers and a maybe when you consider Balotelli’s reliability.
City have to be lucky with injuries, loss of form and suspensions, but those things affect every club.
It has left Mancini and City in a Catch-22 situation. If they kiss and make up with Tévez and bring him back into the fold, it might help them win the title, but he has crossed the line so far on this occasion that City simply cannot allow themselves to give him another chance.
Enough is enough. City have bent over backwards to help Tévez in the past 12 months, when it has been obvious that he has wanted to be somewhere else.
The club have repeatedly allowed him to fly to Argentina to spend time with his family and given him every opportunity to make things work, but he has repaid them by refusing to come on as a substitute and there can be no place for that behaviour at any club.
Yes, City risk being left short of attacking options if they stick to their guns by making it clear that Tévez will not play for the club again, even if they run out of strikers.
But the way that Mancini and the owners deal with this situation will be a defining moment for the club and they have to get it right. Even if Tévez apologises to Mancini, his team-mates, the owner and the fans, I don’t see how he can play for City again.
How can he be trusted? If he didn’t want to play against Bayern, how do we know that he will want to play the next time he is picked as a substitute?
His actions have led to an internal investigation at City, which has provided another distraction that Mancini and the players could do without.
If Tévez was only half-popular among his team-mates, they are not going to drop him in it by telling the club what he said or how he said it.
Expecting a player to “grass” on another would be putting them in an unbelievably difficult situation and, even if they knew what had gone on, I cannot imagine any player talking about it.
But whichever way you look at the situation, it is Tévez’s fault. He is the only one who is culpable for what happened in Munich.
How can a player misunderstand that the manager wants him to go on as a substitute? It just does not ring true.
It was an idiotic thing to do and I have no sympathy for Tévez. The whole episode seemed almost
pre-conceived and anything but a spur-of-the-moment thing.
City simply have to be ruthless. If they allow Tévez back, it might solve a manpower problem in the short term, but it would be a huge mistake in the long run because of the image it would give the club.
It would totally and utterly detract from what they are trying to do at Eastlands and take yet more focus away from what is happening on the pitch.
City are joint-top of the Premier League, but the headlines being generated by the club are a distraction and, eventually, that kind of negativity will have an effect.
Mancini must be careful to ensure that it does not spill over and affect performances on the pitch, but however difficult a situation Tévez has put the club in, there really is only one course of action open to City.
[spoiler]
[/spoiler]OTHER BOLLOX
Under-fire Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is reportedly planning a move for Ajax pair Jan Vertonghen and Christian Eriksen in the January transfer window. Caughtoffside
Spanish side Valencia are thought to be ready to to reignite their interest in Manchester United's out-of-favour forward Dimitar Berbatov. Footybunker
Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola is rumoured to be monitoring Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. Caughtoffside
Arsenal, Newcastle, Manchester City and Tottenham are all interested in signing French teenager M'Baye Niang, 16, from Caen according to reports in France. Footie-online
Bolton are tracking Bordeaux striker Cheick Diabate and could make a move for the 23-year-old Mali international in January. Inside Futbol
Spurs playmaker Luka Modric is reportedly close to signing a six-figure weekly pay deal to keep him at the club until at least 2015. Footybunker
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was branded "two bob" by Tottenham coach Clive Allen following Spurs 2-1 win in the north London derby on Sunday. Allen claims Wenger "refused to shake his hand", before adding: "He says he didn't see me or hear me, but he's two bob he is, two bob." Daily Star
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes the Gunners will emerge from their poor start to the season as a stronger team. talkSHIT
Blackburn manager Steve Kean insists he will continue to have the backing of club owners Venky's when he meets them this week. Daily Mirror
Bolton manager Owen Coyle believes Hungarian goalkeeper Adam Bogdan will learn from his mistakes during the 5-1 defeat by Chelsea. talkSHIT
A Spanish referee has become a La Liga legend after slide tackling Sergio Canales during Valencia's 1-0 win over Granada. Metro
Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has described Glenn Hoddle as "the most biased pundit around" after the Gunners were beaten by Spurs in the north London derby. Metro
Mercurial QPR playmaker Adel Taarabt stormed off after being substituted at half-time in the disastrous 6-0 defeat at Fulham, then waited outside the ground for a bus. Daily Mirror
QPR's Joey Barton has urged Sky not to select his team for Sunday matches so he does not have to watch X Factor on Saturday evenings, which he claims is ruining his credibility. Metro
Following his successful hair transplant, Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney has had his enhanced thatch dyed. Daily Mirror
