Will they rue the day they let him go to Tottenham?
It raised a couple of eyebrows at the time, but not too many. Emmanuel Adebayor was well into Phase B of his latest career move (the sulk) so was surplus to requirements, and Manchester City just wanted rid. Thus when Tottenham Hotspur offered the player a route out (with City predictably helping out with the wages), it seemed the best deal for all.
Or maybe not. Now, it’s all looking a bit awkward. Now, it seems that Manchester City have loaned a player to a club competing with them for the title – and I doubt this is how Roberto Mancini saw it panning out.
Ideally, Mancini and the board at City would have wanted rid of Adebayor permanently – a transfer fee in from another club, preferably abroad, to take him off their hands. The problem was, as is often the case with City’s deadwood from the past couple of seasons, his wages. A half-season loan at Real Madrid had gone fairly well, but they had little desire to sign him up permanently – it was more a case of bridging a gap for a while due to injuries, Higuain especially springing to mind. Adebayor made all the right noises publicly about wanting to remain in Madrid, at times almost begging for a move to go through, his commitment extending to even cutting his hair. The guy was serious.
But it wasn’t to be. Real Madrid had moved on to pastures new, and Adebayor needed to find somewhere else. If you’re one of the best players in the world, the huge wages that came with you would not be a problem, but he isn’t (good as he is), and this limited his options. Not surprisingly, enter Harry Redknapp, stage left. Harry thought Adebayor was a ‘triffic player, but the wages would never be met by his chairman, and as we all know, Harry doesn’t get involved in transfer deals.
City were faced with the prospect of another Tevez situation – an unwanted, big-name player hanging around the reserves sucking money out of the club, casting a bed smell over the training ground. After all, there was no way back to the first team for Adebayor – once Mancini falls out with a player, they are history. A year-long loan deal to Spurs wasn’t ideal, but at least it would take some of the wages off City’s hands, and would get him out of the club for the time being – but more importantly, did Mancini and the board think Spurs were not a threat?
This was the team that had finished 5th the previous season, thanks to a late-in-the-season win at Liverpool. Mancini probably thought, along with most people, that this season would be a case of them trying to get back that 4th place position whilst City went for the league – and maybe it still will end up that way, but for now they continue to progress, and the Premier League title is a three-horse race, with some pre-season favourites having already fallen.
This is slightly embarrassing for City of course – it was not in the script to help out a title rival, though it may all turn out swimmingly – Adebayor can’t play against City but for all we know might end up scoring the winner against Manchester United, helping to bring the title to the Etihad. Who knows? But in future, Mancini and the board may have to rethink their strategy on where players go – any moves have to be right for both parties. Alex Ferguson wouldn’t let a player go to a rival club – this is the man who refused to let Heinze go to Liverpool.
Either way, it does highlight a flaw in the loan system. Premier League teams should not be able to, and should not NEED to, loan players from other Premier League teams. Too often it is a system that is abused, and is more a case of who you know as a manager as much as what you know. Loans to me have always been about developing young talent, getting them playing time so that they can develop, but even this has led to some “Big Four” teams loaning out young players to smaller Premiership clubs, and this doesn’t seem entirely fair.
As for Adebayor, do not expect him to lower his wage demands in the summer. It is unlikely that his move to Spurs will become permanent, and there is no reason for City to bend over backwards for him anymore. But for one year, Spurs have got themselves a very good deal that perhaps should never have been offered. And as result, if Harry Redknapp wants to talk about Carlos Tevez and his life-long admiration of the diminutive Argentinean in numerous press conferences, then go for it – but you get the feeling that Mancini and co. have learnt their lesson, and Tevez won’t be going to White Hart Lane or anywhere in England anytime soon.
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Interesting article and perhaps Mancini and the City Board did underestimate the sort of impact Adebayor would make at Spurs. Fool them however, more interesting for me was your assumption that Alex Ferguson would’nt let a player go to a rival club. Why then would certain cretins in the media including would be journalists on various blogs think that Spurs will even contemplate selling Luka Modric to Chelsea or ManU especially when Spurs are looking more and more likely to regain their status in the English game. The same can be said for Bale, Sandro, Walker etc. The way Spurs are currently playing has attracted more parasites than usual.
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I agreed with you until you said that players shouldn’t be allowed loan moves to other premiership clubs. The loaning of players keeps the player happy because surprise, surprise they’re playing footie. It also keeps the player match fit and if that player has a good season then it increases their value. So the club who is loaning him out is in a win win situation. Also if there is no other club from abroad willing to loan a player then surely the next best thing is a premiership club. Maybe the F.A. should look at only allowing a player to be loaned for one season at a time, unlike Adebayor who was previously at Real Madrid.
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An alternative may well have been for our manager to actually MANAGE a player who may have been a little difficult. Revolutionary thought I know but ‘Arry seems to be doing it ok, just as King Kenny is with Bellars. Would anybody seriously prefer say Dzeko to Ade if Ade were managed properly??? And couldn’t Bellars do a job for us still?? Sorry to be a critic but it seems man management is Bobby Manc’s weakness.
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Glowey Reply:
December 30th, 2011 at 11:05 pm
Fair point Goatman but, none of the players you name were Mancini’s buys and, both Bellamy and Ade were totally disruptive to the club. Bridge was Ok but, not to mancini’s liking.
I was really sorry to see Bellamy leavebut, Ade was just in cruise mode when Mancini arrived and just wasn’t interested. He’s done the same at both EPL clubs, set off like a house on fire then Mr average. All of us at City are waitning to see how long his good form lasts, until he gets a permanent deal is our guess.
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ade has been a bit of a revlation @ spurs but if we are really going to challenge for the title @ man city, surely they have got to be worried about bale, not ade, playing or not.
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Harry would love to get Tevez .
The message is clear “drop ur wage demands” maybe Tevez has unfinished business here and.the chance to help win the league with club 3 in this years trio .
Very feasible over next 6 months kid needs to play .
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Can’t see what all the fuss is about Ade.
He’s lazy, can’t win a header, tries to dribble out of the penalty area and always loses it, can’t beat a man, control is poor, always offside, he gets in the way and his goals are scrambled. The only thing he does well is grin.
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