Tevez booked for Juve medical
Juventus have offered Manchester City striker Carlos Tévez a route out of England by agreeing an initial £10 million fee with his club.
The Argentine international has experienced a love-hate relationship with the country during a seven-year stint on these shores, but finally it appears the end is in sight with a move to Juventus on the horizon.
The fee is believed to include several add-ons, with personal terms still to be agreed between Juve and the player. The hot-shot forward is set for talks in Turin today aimed at completing those potentially tricky details before Tévez undergoes a medical to put the seal on his switch to Serie A.
Having started out at Boca Juniors in his homeland, the stocky Tévez quickly made an impression and became a much sought-after player for clubs both in Europe and South America.
The emerging financial market in Brazil and the increase in revenue at football clubs in that country allowed Sao Paulo side Corinthians to break the bank for the up-and-coming star. His upper body strength, skill on the ball and deadly finishing had teams worldwide desperate to put together a deal for his services. However, it was Corinthians that stole a march on their rivals to capture the exciting forward.
His 17-month stay ended in acrimony when Tévez refused to play for the Brazilian club in an effort to force a move to Europe. Due to an extremely complicated ownership situation, several clubs turned down the opportunity to take Carlitos on. He eventually pitched up at Upton Park to join West Ham United in a shock double-deal with fellow Argentine Javier Mascherano.
Two sports agencies owned Tévez and the deal to take him to Corinthians had been investigated by the Brazilian authorities at the time. Most clubs didn't want to get involved with such an unusual set-up in which the club Tévez would play for didn't actually own his contract, but West Ham saw it as too good an opportunity to miss and snapped up the duo in 2006.
Tevez was instrumental in keeping West Ham United up in the Premier League at the expense of an enraged Sheffield United, who claimed they should keep their top-flight status due to West Ham's signing of Tévez being against Premier League regulations. The Hammers were fined £5.5m for the breach of rules, but were allowed to stay in the big league. West Ham later had to compensate Sheffield United for their perceived loss of revenue after relegation following a financial agreement between the clubs.
Controversy surrounding the Buenos Aires native continued when his representatives attempted to engineer a move away from West Ham to Manchester United. The Hammers attempted to fight the case, but were compelled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to release Tévez from his contract due to the complicated terms of the deal between the parties. He moved to Old Trafford on a two-year loan, which was structured with the beady eyes of the FA firmly fixed on every detail to ensure there was no repeat of the West Ham saga.
His spell at Old Trafford was full of ups-and-downs, especially when it came to the crunch near the end of the two years with United obliged to either sign him permanently or release him. The Red Devils showed an intention to keep him when agreeing a fee for the transfer, but Tévez and his representatives decided they no longer wanted to stay after several instances of the player losing his place in the starting line-up.
Despite strong interest from arch-rivals Liverpool, the impudent Argentine made an equally controversial choice for his next move when completing a deal with cross-town upstarts Manchester City. The now infamous billboard advertisements displaying Tévez in a blue shirt with the words 'Welcome to Manchester' emblazoned upon it only served to stoke the flames of the fire.
During four years on the blue half of Manchester, Tévez scored some fantastic and important goals, while causing more trouble than enough with comments about the city, the country and numerous disputes with his manager Roberto Mancini. It blew up in extraordinary fashion in 2011 when Carlitos refused to go on to the field from the subs' bench during a Champions League fixture with Bayern Munich. Mancini requested that his player warm-up in preparation to come on in the second half, but Tévez had other ideas and insisted repeatedly that he would not get ready. Several players and coaching staff tried to cajole the arrogant striker into getting up off the bench, but to no avail.
Mancini insisted after the match that Tévez wouldn't play for the club again under his leadership, while the player himself took off on a 'holiday' in Argentina. While there, the forward made a lot of damning comments about Manchester and his boss, pushing him further towards the point of no-return. He eventually returned to the club after five months and several weeks' worth of fines, but it was a tough road to redemption after all the loose talk to the press while he was away.
However, he did help the club clinch the Premier League title that year, only to start waving around a sign exclaiming 'R.I.P. Fergie' at the championship celebrations. It was as if Tévez simply couldn't help attracting attention to himself for all the wrong reasons.
This past season has seen Tévez play a bit-part role in City's campaign in which they claimed the runners-up spot in the league and the club feel the time is right to cash in with only one year remaining on his contract. The move suits both parties and Juventus believe they can get the best out of the 29-year-old for the next few years.
Barring problems with the talks or medical, Tévez will move to a Mediterranean nation where he'll feel more comfortable and happy; it is a point that suggests he can produce his very best form in Turin upon the resumption of the football season.
Juventus beat off stiff competition from Milan for the signature of the Argentine and that will add further spice to the fixtures between the two clubs next season. Should Juve help Tévez display his mesmerising best once again, then chances are he'll help his prospective new team to retain Lo Scudetto ahead of their many illustrious rivals.
facebook.com/DLWSports
Twitter: @davewh1980
No comments:
Post a Comment