Mancini: Tevez and Dzeko stay
It would be fair to say that there has been plenty of speculation regarding the futures of Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko over recent months, with both players being linked with moves away from the Etihad Stadium. However, Roberto Mancini has now come out and stated that he wants neither player to leave the club, as City will have to keep their best players if they are to progress.
There have been rumours surrounding the future of Tevez for the best part of a year now, after the former Manchester United striker went on AWOL following a huge row with Mancini last season. Even though he did come back into the reckoning and played a huge part in City’s success, reports have constantly linked the 28-year-old with a move away, with AC Milan supposedly keen suitors.
Dzeko on the other hand has constantly struggled to make an impact in the City first team, despite signing for a huge £27m back in 2011. While he has managed to score a total of 25 goals during his time at the Etihad Stadium, he has always struggled for a regular run in the first team.
Following on from the above, reporters have been keen to quiz Roberto Mancini about the future of the duo. Speaking to The Sun, the Italian said, “Both will stay at City. We are a great team and we try to keep our great players. It won’t be easy but they will stay here. We still lack a couple of players to reach the level of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Also our mentality has to grow season by season.”
However, there is no doubt that Mancini is under pressure to trim his squad, with the UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations set to arrive in the near future. While his comments indicate that he would prefer to keep the duo, he knows that the sale of even one of these players would free up some tremendous finances for other recruits.