Modern Day Journeyman Or Homecoming Queen?

Alot of media commentators/News Organisations have been running this story all day today continuing the ever farcical ”Tevez wants to go home” saga, well I would put to those commentators that they have done an injustice in reporting this story as the ‘return of the prodigal son’ for 35 million pounds because frankly it would not be like that at all. In the world of Modern football a player who ‘wants to go home’ gets to dictate the will of the club and hold them to ransom over letting him go to where he wants to go, this news comes the same day that Adebayor ”refused” to train with MCFC youngsters/reserves who also missed out on the City US tour. I am no genius but if agents are now putting in clauses in contracts that say; ”I sign this 5 year contract but any time I feel like going home I want to be sold to a club which is at least Spanish/Italian speaking” and ”I refuse to train with anyone younger than me” surely it has now reached/surpassed the stage that this whole saga is just typical of the modern journeyman footballer who shows no loyalty to any club and has so much player power at one club that he does, in essence, become bigger than that football club during the saga.

Many in the British press are billing Carlos Tevezs’ return to Corinthians as the return of a club legend who left as an icon…Nothing could be further from the truth. He moved for 18 million dollars and was signed to MSI the agency (who held a significant stake in Corinthians and still own 50 pct of the club) who still hold a grip on Tevez’s career through his agent/intermediary/personal nanny Kia Joorabchian who came out today decreeing Tevez will push for a move to the club where his heart lies, Corinthians nevertheless. His spell at Corinthians in many ways has defined/shown up throughout Tevez’s subsequent career here is a few examples of the sort of terms Tevez left his ‘heart bound’ club of Corinthians; Tevez leaves Corinthians after one season, after winning the league, Leao says: “Our relationship has never got started” I am sure that will sound familiar to Alan Pardew and possibly Mancini who Tevez has always served the frostiest of glances. Tevez goes on strike at Corinthians and coach Emerson Leao says: “Tevez has missed other training sessions so this is nothing new.” He has always been shielded from any form of discipline which is why his recent behavior off the pitch has been nothing short of astounding. When a player like Tevez who is the modern day football mercenary who came from South America and has made his money and now wants to return but he wont take a significant paycut from 250k a week to return…He still ‘needs’ 130k a week to live from with his family, his family who would apparently move to Brazil/Spain but not move back to England. Tevez built a home when he moved to Manchester United and his family lived happy until he split from his wife and now that they are, shockingly, back together it would appear his wife is no longer fond of views of the Lancashire riviera and has her sights set on a warmer climate. Fair enough? Or is it a case of ”Carlos wants a change of scenery”, because despite him sensational goal scoring record Tevez has had little European impact at Champions League level and having finally reached the level with Manchester City he now wants to jump ship, clearly a man who plays for money/football than for honors. On the language point it has always been apparent in Tevez’s career and if the Brazilian coach of Corinthians says that as a captain no player can understand him surely a predominantly English speaking Manchester City team/coaching staff will have huge difficulties given that Tevez has been here 6 years and not learnt a word of the Queens’ English?  Back in 2005 Tevez was stripped of the captain’s armband at the club, “Does anyone understand what Tevez says when he speaks, because I don’t,” says coach Leao.  Tevez then falls out with Corinthians players and is involved in a fist fight with Marquinos in training which sparked international coverage and Tevez was filmed punching/kicking Marquinhos repeatedly after the tenacious forward took holding up the ball to seriously when the defender came in to tackle him. Training ground bust ups, disassociation/isolation with other players? Sounds like an all to familiar trend to Tevez’s career since he moved from Corinthians, the warning signs were there and the man clearly has not changed his volatile ways.

In regards to the idea that Tevez moving back to Corinthians will be ‘revered’ by the fans as ‘the return of the messiah’ is completely false and bogus, Tevez has never had any connection meaningful with any set of fans throughout his career except at Boca Juniors (People who speak his language/local boy I would presume), but in Brazil the fans of Corinthians felt betrayed by Tevez’s lack of respect for the club and constant moaning/demanding whilst failing to deliver 100 pct on the pitch despite the club paying a South American record fee to bring him from Corinthians. Again, the trend was set and Tevez has never entered any meaningful connection/bond with fans since, I mean Manchester United/City fans adored him for what he gave on the pitch, he never did much community work and like I said not learning to speak English takes away a big part of fan interaction in this country especially. Despite saying “I identify with the Corinthians fans”, Tevez falls out with the supporters who boo him constantly and shook his car after matches. Clearly Tevez has the personality that rifles emotion and polarizes opinion no matter where he is be it Brazil/Manchester, his off the pitch antics have always been apparent and should come as no great shock to any club executive who bring him in under the suspicion they can be the ones who ‘tame’ Carlos Tevez, just like Gary Cook has done at City who has given Tevez whatever he has asked for and provided the means to do so through private jets/all inclusive holidays in Spain. It astounds me the lengths that Manchester City have gone to, to appease their captain and keep him their despite Tevez/Joorabchian’s constant mockery of the Football Club and have built the media image in recent months that Carlos Tevez is actually bigger than the football club which you simply can not allow as a club manager because it sends a message/sets a precedent for anyone wanting to come in. ”Tevez’s first stint at Cornithains worked out so well he lasted just one season of his five-year £6.5m contract.” Amazing the sort of precedents you can get isn’t it? He signed a 5 year deal with Manchester City on improved terms less than a year ago on 250k+ a week and now wants to go ‘home’? Football clubs have payed an astonishing 94.6 million pounds on Tevez throughout his career (including estimates of his contracts) and now he expects Manchester City to send him out on loan to a Brazilian club so he can ‘be closer to his family’? The club that would still pay his 250k a week wages and the club that lets make no bones about it could really use Carlos Tevez and his attributes next season, and they should loan him out to Brazil because he wants them to?

Summarizing the Corinthians bid for Carlos Tevez today: Entirely fabricated as a PR stunt, I mean MSI owns half of Corinthians…Tevez is still their client and Tevez’s agent is one of their top agents who work under their umbrella. So the Kia Joorabchian quotes can be thrown out of the equation right now, and Corinthians director of sports came out today and admitted they could not afford Tevez and it was ”unlikely but a dream is possible if you believe it hard enough”. Alot of reports about how they were planning on funding their bid, it would be through Brazilian TV money which Corinthians will receive which is a pretty extortionate amount for a South American club of 29 million euros, plus some of the fee would be paid annually for 3 years. But regardless, Kia Joorabchian has Sheikh Mansour/Gary Cooks ears and he knows fine well they would rebuff the bid swiftly and it is some way off what City want/feel they should get for Carlos Tevez…My personal feeling on the days events was it is an entirely choreographed stunt by MSI/Corinthians/Kia Joorabchian who’s actual goal is to get Carlos Tevez a loan deal to Corinthians (highly unlikely). Lets not forget the Brazilian domestic transfer window shuts on the 20th of July for permanent deals so if this deal is going to have significant movement it had better happen pretty sharply or perhaps Boca will sweep in at the last minute and pay City’s price so Tevez will actually be going home…

Bust up with Marquinhos at his last ‘spell’ at the Brazilian club: