Mancini must remain firm over Tevez

So the Manchester City fans have received the inevitable news they have been dreading, Carlos Tevez officially wants to leave Manchester. It was always baffling why Sir Alex Ferguson didn't sign the Argentinian hit man on a permanent basis when he had the chance, while it now appears more clear. As good as Tevez is and he is very good, he isn't a player that has settled at a club. His time in the Premiership has been nothing short of breathtaking, seeing him play a crucial role in West Ham avoiding relegation, winning the Premierhsip and the love of the Stretford End at Old Trafford, while most recently securing Manchester City a Champions League position for the very first time. He was arguably the best striker in England last season and this news will come as a massive blow to Mancini and his plans for the forthcoming season. However, City need to remain firm with Tevez and his advisors or risk jeapordising arguably the most important season in the clubs history.

Sheikh Mansour has invested heavily in the club and has so far seen City make good progress, finishing third in the league and winning the FA Cup last season. However, without the contribution of Tevez it is hard to imagine them being in that position now. Mansour has waisted a lot of money on talent that did not succeed at the club and must now try and make some money back or at least off load them to other clubs. Wayne Bridge, Adebayor, Wright Phillips, Dzeko, Santa Cruz, Bellamy, Kolarov, the list is endless. Carloz Tevez represents the single world class player City possess, take him out of the equation and all of a sudden they do not seem that threatening anymore. The singing of Gael Clichy from the sinking ship that appears to be Arsenal, shows that City are finally getting value for money and bringing in players with Premiership experience. However, losing Tevez after singing Clichy will be like taking one step forward and five steps backwards.

Mancini's men struggled when Tevez was missing last season and the Italian manager will be well aware of the daunting task he will face in replacing his star striker. There are not a lot of players as good as Tevez available out there, but with the money City possess they could surely pull something out of the bag, perhaps Giuseppe Rossi from under the nose of Harry Redknapp. Mancini and City fans alike, need only look at the Barcelona and Cesc Fabregas saga and take hope that players are not calling all the shots these days. Harry Redknapp and Spurs may also find themselves in a similar position should Chelsea and possibly Manchester United make improved offers for Luka Modric. City have slapped a £50 million price tag on Tevez and realistically the only clubs that can pay that are Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Unless City get there asking price they will be resilient in leaving there star asset go. Tevez is currently on €200,000 a week at City so life in Manchester can't be that bad. Mancini wont give up without a fight, but should the special one come knocking with an offer plus Benzema, they may find it hard to resist. Watch this space as they say.