Why Manchester City shouldn’t let Carlos Tevez stay

The Premier League Owl

Who saw this coming?

These are the quotes from Carlos Tevez that most of you will have seen by now:

“I’m an ambitious person, I want to work hard and win things with City. I’ve felt great since I came back in February, very relaxed and content and just pleased to be back playing football for Manchester City again.

My relationship with the manager is totally fine, he has been as good as gold with me and there have been absolutely no problems. There’s been a lot said and written this season but that’s in the past.”

Do you know what the biggest problem with Carlos Tevez is? You can’t trust him. Neither the Argentine nor his advisor Kia Joorabchian can ever be relied upon to stick to any of the promises that they make.

Tevez may very well be making a useful contribution to his team now, but they arguably would already be out of reach of Manchester United if he hadn’t fled the country – his performances now are just a reminder of what he took away from City for all those months.

Mancini will do anything to bring the Premier League trophy to the Etihad Stadium, and that includes letting bygones-be-bygones with his troublesome forward. But, regardless of the outcome of this season, in the more tranquil setting of a pre-season the Italian will surely judge Tevez to be a risk no longer worth taking.

After the events in Munich, most neutrals will have had a lot of sympathy for City’s manager; he was being caused problems by a player he inherited rather than bought, and was on the receiving end of increasingly egomaniacal behaviour. There was no way you could blame Mancini.

However, should Tevez be allowed to stay at the club, and if something similar was to happen next year, that culpability would shift. If Tevez or Joorabchian suddenly decide that more money is needed, or that Manchester really doesn’t have enough restaurants, then instability will once again be the product. Only this time Mancini will be accused of ignoring a risk he knew existed.

City should look at it like this: Tevez has come back, he’s played well and reinflated his transfer value – let him go in the Summer and move on. This, after all, could’ve played out a lot worse.

Play the percentages – some players will always attract trouble, and it’s not as if Carlos Tevez is irreplaceable.

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