By Sheldan Keay
Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has put an end to the speculation, and has confirmed that he does wish to leave the club. Tevez has stated family reasons as being the cause for his desire to leave, saying that he can no longer cope with not being able to live in the North West without his daughters.
The news may not come as a shock to many, however it was just a few days ago that Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini was certain that Tevez would stay at Eastlands. Speaking over the weekend, Mancini said "Yes, of course Tevez will stay, he is a fantastic player." There had been talk of a potential swap deal with Inter Milan for Samuel Eto'o, with Mancini adding "here was talk of an exchange with Eto'o but Inter did not want to sell." This statement from Mancini may have calmed the minds of some fans, but others felt that the situation was not over, and indeed that proved to be the case. The situation first began back in December, when Tevez handed in a transfer request, citing the same family reasons that he recently announced in his latest statement. He later removed that request a week later, and commited his future to the club, however many believed that Tevez would still leave at the end of the season, which now appears to be the case.
In his statement, Tevez made it clear that he had no animosity towards the club, and his decision was made based entirely on his family. "I need to be closer to them and to spend more time with them, living without my children in Manchester has been incredibly challenging for me. Everything I do, I do for my daughters. I need them to be happy because my life is about them now. I need to be in a place where they can adapt. I hope that the people understand the difficult circumstances I have been living under the past 12 months, in regards to my family." Tevez went on to say that he thanks for the club for everything they have done for him during his time there. "I would like to state that I have great respect for the club, its supporters and the owner, Sheikh Mansoor, who has been nothing other than respectful to me. I hope that most of the City fans will understand that I have given them my all on the pitch and that my dedication to the City cause has been 100% on the pitch. I hope I have done my bit to help City continue their progress towards their ambition to be champions of England and to advance in the Champions League. I have no doubt that the players and management of City will achieve great success in the future."
Tevez enjoyed a succesful 2 year spell at City, which saw him captain the side to their first trophy win in 35 years when they lifted the F.A Cup, and also securing City's place in the Champions League following their 3rd place finish. There is no doubt that replacing the void that Tevez will leave will be a tough one for City, however, with money not an object for them, it is likely that the Argentinian will be replaced by another world class striker. The likes of Neymar, Alexis Sanchez and Sergio Aguero have all been linked with moves to Eastlands, but City have announced that they are in no rush to sell Tevez and look for a replacement. A city spokesman said "Carlos is a contracted player to Manchester City for another three years and we have had no offers for him." It is likely that if City do sell Tevez as expected, they wish to recieve a fee of over £40 million for the Argentinian's services, a fee that only a handful of clubs around the globe will be able to afford, and with Inter Milan, the team who Tevez was heavily rumoured to be joining announcing that they do not wish to pay Tevez's £200,000 a week wages, where the Argentinian's future lies is anyone's guess.
Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay
