Should United wave goodbye to Carlos Tevez?

Oliver Kay

Debate: Does Tevez have a future at United?

FROM the moment it emerged that it would take the best part of £32 million to sign him permanently, there was a good argument for suggesting that Manchester United should wave goodbye to Carlos Tevez at the end of the season. Now that he has started to bleat about the situation, expressing unhappiness with Sir Alex Ferguson, perhaps the Argentina forward should start packing his bags now.

Tevez is a silly boy. His frustrations over the hold-up with his permanent transfer are understandable, but who is to blame here? He is a player who, as a youngster in South America, was happy to sign away his “economic rights” to a mysterious group of investors and, in doing so, to lose sole control over his future.

On the day that Tevez was introduced as a United player in August 2007, he remarked that he would have preferred to sign a five-year contract with the club, rather than the unusual arrangement that sees him effectively on a two-year loan – not on loan from another club but on loan from those investment groups. Tevez suggested that his wish could easily be granted by David Gill, the United chief executive, but, if stability was what he wanted, perhaps he should have told Kia Joorabchian, his adviser.

The precise details of his lease arrangement with United are not entirely clear, but the club are believed to have paid between £6 million and £10 million – half at the time and half last summer – to take Tevez on a two-year loan. He has scored enough goals – many of them crucial – to mean that that investment has more than paid off for United already. But if they wish to sign him permanently, on a long-term contract, they must pay off a balance of between £22 million and £26 million on his total pre-determined valuation of £32 million. That does not sound quite such a compelling deal, particularly when you bear in mind that he has dropped down the pecking order and is generally regarded as back-up for Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov.

Tevez is a top-class player, not to mention very popular with United’s supporters, but is he worth a minimum £22 million to make the deal permanent? More to the point, is he worth £100,000 a week in wages, which is said to be what he and his representatives are asking for? (He, incidentally, denies that any such demands have been made, although he also said in a statement at the weekend that “we have not started talks with Manchester United yet”, a claim that the club vehemently oppose, with Sir Alex Ferguson saying that Gill and Joorabchian have been in talks for several months.)

The impasse, combined with the arrival of Berbatov, has seemed to have an effect on Tevez’s form. He has scored eight goals this season, but five of those have come in the Carling Cup. He has scored just twice in the Premier League and, while this can in part be put down to a lack of opportunities in the starting line-up, he has started eight games and come on as substitute in five others. The most obvious thing is the manner in which he has snatched at chances, as if too desperate to prove himself when given the opportunity to do so. When Ferguson talks of profligacy in front of goal this season, the name of Tevez cannot be far from his mind.

Ferguson and indeed United’s supporters can forgive erratic finishing, particularly with such an honest, enthusiastic player, but it is harder to defend or to understand his decision to go public in airing his frustrations with the club. The interview that he gave with an Argentine radio while back in his homeland, which appeared in English newspapers today, was ill-advised and will have done his cause no good whatsoever. If there is one thing that Ferguson does not like, it is a player who mouths off to the media. Tevez may not be on first-name terms with the Manchester press pack, but, in the 21st century, an interview given to an Argentine radio station does not take too long to be picked up in England.

To lose Tevez on a free transfer at the end of the season – whether to Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Arsenal or even Manchester City – would be hard for United, but it would not be a disaster, given that they only paid a relatively small fee for him and that, because of the complicated nature of the deal, he was never truly their player. It is not too late for Tevez to knuckle down, start scoring goals and earn a permanent contract with United, but right now, if that is what he wants, he is going entirely the wrong way about it.

Comments

[bornandbred]

To understand this deal we need to look at the numbers.

The initial payment was 32million pounds, but linked to the dollar. SO at the time, when the dollar was 2:1 with the pound this was 64 million dollars. This translates now, witht he dollar at 1.5:1 to 43 million pounds. We know that some of it has been paid already and therefore at a lower exchange rate, which this article assumes is between 6-10. If we take it as 8, that means there is still 27 million pounds to pay.

Add this to the wages being demanded. We know that Rooney, Ronaldo and Rio get far in excess of 100,000 a year, and we hear Tevez asks for at least 100,000. We also know, which is crucial, that Tevez only wants to stay in EUROPE FOR ANOTHER FIVE YEARS. After that he promises to go back to Boca. So. That is another 26 million.

So, for five years more service Utd will need to pay 53 million pounds, or 10.6 million a year. There is no resale value, as he leaves to boca at the end, so this is net payment.

In order to make this deal worthwhile he needs to offer value of more than 10.6 million to Utd. I doubt he has much commercial value, so he must be judged by what he does on the pitch. Now he is clearly a 3rd choice striker, with the young and up and coming Welbeck and Campbell not far behind.

We also remember the financial situation we are all in, espcially a club in as much debt as Utd. Utd had very successful year last year, bu the prize money for winning the champions league was only 30million pounds. The profit made by the club was a similar figure. Now ask yourself if one player in a squad of 30, with the ability of Tevez is worth 53 million?

[terence ward]

i dont see tevez as a long term addition to man uniteds squad. far too inadequate for me. better players out there for half the price. move him on , cut yous losses{if there are any}and move forward.

[peter yiannis]

Fergie obsession, has wasted Utd,s money with the overated and lazy Berbatov and while Tevez is overpriced, he has paid a large chunk of the asking fee, with his amazing performances against Barcelona in the CL last year.
No way on earth Berbatov,would have run ,grafted and toiled the way Tevez did,which proved to be instrumental in Utd marching on to the final.
Conclusion. Anybody who critisises Tevez is an idiot!
He is a far more versatile player than Berbatov and ALWAYS gives 200 fer cent for Utd, something Berbatov will never do.

[Ez Reeves]

Never, get rid of berbatov tevez is much better he works hard,and he was one of the best players for Manu last season.End of story.

[Jim]

Tevez may not start, but he's playing most games. United are currently on top of world football. Tevez has said he loves the club, loves the fans. It seems there's a simple solution to the £22m problem:

Play out the rest of the season, become a free player. Then choose to sign a "free-transfer" contract back again with United. Why join Man City on a free transfer when you can join United on a free transfer?

[Mike M]

Tevez is a grafter with talent. Berbatov oozes talent, but Ferguson needs to lean on him to ensure that he puts in a proper shift. United thrive on pace. Berbatov has a quick football brain, but the body fails to respond. He isn't really centre forward material nowadays. Thirty years ago he could have got away with it. He needs a rigorous training schedule. If push came to shove, I'd keep Tevez & admit that Berbatov was a misfit, like one or two others from the past, most conspicuously the awful Veron.

[paul thomas]

As a supporter of Sheffield United,do you think there is any chance that Man Utd would loan him to us for the rest of the season ? i am sure he would score some goals for us and assist us in trying to reclaim our place in the Premier League,accepting of course that he would not personally make any extra impact on improving our league position,squad or results !!!!

[S.Sohail]

I think I'm with gabrielle marcotti on this one. He didn't exactly say anything everyone didn't already know in the interview. It wasn't a ronaldo-esque sonnet dedicated to real.

[Harry - Manchester]

In short, we should never have invested £32m in Berbatov. He simply doesn't bring enough to the table and as soon as it happened it spelt bad news for Tevez. Now the club are procrastinating over his fee because they invested £30m+ in the wrong player. Tevez has nearly 4 years on Berbatov, brings more to the team in terms of goal scoring ability and work rate and he was already integrated into the set up. His understanding with Ronaldo and Rooney was tip-top. Now he's been dropped for a lazy Bulgarian who has upset the balance of the side and it's seen both the club and the player suffer for it. As good a player as Berbatv is, his work rate is appalling, his decision making is poor, and he shows no desire to get into the box and score. It's a no brainer to me, but since we've already thrown £30m at Tottingham for Berbs, we're going to have to lie in the bed we've made for ourselvces.

[mark natan]

£32 million for him and 12 for Arshavin no brainer is he 3 times better

[hz]

Tevez is a great player and I'd rather have him in the side that Berba (or Rooney for that matter).

As good a player as Berba is, he seems to have upset the balance of the side and negates some of the most effective traits of Rooney and Ronaldo without adding enough in his own right to compensate. The work rate and intuitive connection and awareness of Tevez, Rooney and Ronaldo as a trio combine to give something far more effective and unpredictable.

However, at £30M+ a piece, having both Tevez and Berba in the squad is perhaps too much of a luxury. With hindsight, it might have been better not to spend the money on Berba but the easiest, best and most affordable solution now is to not sign Tevez and then either bring through or use that money for a true goal scoring striker.

I think off pitch factors will play into this also. He can’t help family illnesses and the like but drama does seem to follow him and Fergie is known to prefer more settled and focused players (only the exceptional are forgiven their distractions). Mouthing off about his options when he’s already dropped down the pecking order is hardly likely to endear him either.

It’s a shame, but I’ll be more surprised if he stays than if he goes.

[Eduardo Flores]

What benefit is it, exactly, that Tevez gets from his arrangement with Joorabchian? For his "economic rights", what exactly is it that Tevez gets?

[Cyrus]

Tevez is a fantastic player but he has to fight for a place with Rooney. Berbatov plays totally different football to both of them so Berba will play and Fergie has to pick either Rooney or Tevez to play alongside Berbatov.

If Fergie decides to let Tevez go, it would not be because of Tevez's football ability, but due to club's financial benefit. At the end of the day, Man U needs to make money.

[ndzUNITED]

Tevez is a wonderful player and as stated in the blog he is an honest, enthusiastic player - but the choices he has made in terms of who represents him and doing the "interview" does show a lack of judgment. Is he worth 32 mill? - hell, no. That $$$ isn't even going to another club but to an "investment" group which may mean his rights will never belong to United or the player himself. I would be extremely disappointed to see him go - esp. to Real (that mob) but the complicated situation Tevez is involved in with MSI makes me feel like the club & player should go their separate ways. Additionally, I would rather keep a Tevez anyday over a self-righteous egomaniac like Ronaldo who belongs in La Liga - the league of divers and hysterics. 4Ever UTD!!

[Maxman]

United is not the only club in the world so Carlito will survive and thrive if he leaves. They didn't blink at paying 31m plus the loss of Campbell's services for Berbatov - I have watched every United game this season and I don't see what they saw in Berbatov. I guarantee that his stats and impact will be inferior to Carlito's. Many of us seem to forget the crucial goals he scored last season - United would not have come close to winning the double without him. Ask Westham who single handedly kept them in the prem a couple of seasons ago.

[jim]

"Tevez is a silly boy. His frustrations over the hold-up with his permanent transfer are understandable, but who is to blame here? He is a player who, as a youngster in South America, was happy to sign away his “economic rights” to a mysterious group of investors and, in doing so, to lose sole control over his future."

What a load, Tevez and Mascherano did that to get out of South America and get into the big time at big clubs. Did it work? Well see for yourself.

Also for those who question whether he's worth £32M isn't it worth considering £10M of thats allready paid. Essentially then if it were a choice between him and Berba, it was between £30M for Berba and £20M for Tevez (considering the first £10M was already gone and not coming back it might as well not be counted). In this instance, and considering that United have looked no better (if not worse) with Berba up front it looks like SAF may have missed a trick here, paying an extra £10M for nothing. Still with Ronaldo looking to leave at any moment perhaps this is all part of his plan to create a team which works without him, one which probably couldn't cope with two no. 10.'s up front.

[Fire Marli]

Im not sure where this came from but if Tevez spoke to the Argentine media then he was just trying to hurry the deal up no doubts. He just wants security so that he can knucle down and focus I think Oliver Kay is just being a journalist creating a fire from a small amount of smoke.

He will no doubt be a united player and its not like he's the only united striker off form think about Rooney, Berbatov, Ronaldo as well so you cannot state he's less deserving of anyone else to stay at United and like Oliver Kay said, he is a hard working player.

Lets just see what happens over time and not make hasty judgements on a player who wants security in terms of which club he's at.

[Ali Javahery]

I am LFC fan and obviously don't like the MUFC...I do like some of Utd players such as Giggs, Berbatov and Tevez....people forget whenever Tevez has played consistently he has turned into the go to guyfrom corinthians to West ham and even at MUFC if he is given the chance he will be the Man despite having team mates with obvious greater talent like Ronaldo and Berbatov...there is something about him...even last year he scored so many last minute goals without I don't think UTD would have won the EPL given the league was decided on the last day. Bottom line is he needs to know he is the Man and at old trafford SAF is the man...not even Ronaldo so players like Tevez need to move to a different team where he would be the instant star...much like Robinho at Man city. Personally I would be very happy if he moved on from MUFC.....

[Richie Woodcock]

One thing I will say is that it isn't as bad an investment as people might think. At his age buying him for £26M pounds on a 5 year deal still means that he would have a considerable re-sale value should Ferguson decide to eventually part company with him. He is about 24 (I think) and still a young man, proven premiership quality and has a hard working ethic about him. If I was a United fan I would want him to stay for sure.

Compared to the Berbatov deal it makes far more sense, Berbs cost around £30M, he is lethargic to say the least and at the end of the month will be 28 meaning that in 2 years time his resale value will be a mere fraction of what they paid for him. And judging by his current form he has not exactly been the missing link in the United front line that perhaps Ferguson was hoping for.

[Eddy]

Man City should sign him if he is not good for United...He seems a nic guy to me, but £32m? no way!

seems Ferguson has a huge mind to use the bucks to sign someone else,the likes of Benzema ,for example.

[Chris]

I don't rate him too much higher than Dirk Kuyt, which is still a very high bar, but he's no Rooney or Berba. And I'm sorry, but South American player of the year simply doesn't mean what it once did. There's a reason players leave South America the moment they become any good and return once they start losing it. The problem is the fee. If the owners are adamant they want £26m MORE from Utd, they are on a loser. Berbs was worth that because he was contracted to another club and they deserved a bit of compo, but Tevez is effectively a free agent, football-wise. Could it be that they are also trying to get from Utd the fee they never got from West Ham?

[Si]

Looking for justification for spending around £20million on a player for five years that isn't guaranteed to start? Look no further than Robbie Keane. When considering United's income compared to Liverpool's this is less of an investment. by the end of the season, Tevez will have played more games for United than Keane will have for Liverpool.

[Mylo]

Berba is yet to demonstrate his superiority over Tevez. My Dad’s a Man U fan and I’ve never heard him scream so much at a Man U player so much. Part of the problem, I think, is Berba’s mannerisms – he rarely looks like he’s putting any where near as much effort in as Tevez et al.
Man U should sign Tevez permanently!

[C Barbre]

Tevez is a nice player, but no way is he 32M worth. Which is exactly why the deal has not been done. Gill and Fergie aren't stupid. They know it is highly unlikely that anybody (i.e. Madrid or Barca) will pay over 20M for him. Villa, Benzema and a few others are better than Tevez for similar money to the total package for Tevez. Tevez can eaily be replaced.