Tevez question remains

Posted Thursday, February 02, 2012 by ESPN

As one South American checked in at Manchester City - the future of another was once again the subject of fevered debate.

New arrival David Pizarro has declared himself fit and available for selection when the ailing Blues take on Fulham this weekend.

The news will be welcomed by manager Roberto Mancini, who has seen his side falter badly over the last couple of months, crashing out of both domestic cup competitions and, more importantly, twice getting pegged back by Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League title race.

Yet, once again, events at City are being overshadowed by talk of Carlos Tevez, whom virtually everyone at the club thought would have found somewhere else to play by now.

The fact the Russian transfer deadline was mentioned in the minutes before the English transfer window closed was the final proof the entire Tevez issue has taken on a life of its own.

Talks between the Tevez camp and City are believed to have taken place once it became clear the 27-year-old would not be moving to AC Milan, or anywhere else for that matter.

And it has been re-emphasised the prospect of Tevez moving to super-rich Anzhi Makhachkala later this month is virtually non-existent.

It means that some kind of peaceful resolution must be found between the club and a player who is presently not being paid and also appealing to the Premier League over a £1.2million fine imposed by his employers for gross misconduct.

Common ground will not be easy to find, which is probably why sources close to the player are giving a wide berth to reports surfacing in Argentina that Tevez has agreed to play in a benefit match for Boca Juniors favourite Martin Palermo.

Whilst Tevez had indicated he would like to be involved if it was possible, an already tense situation with City would take a further downturn should the lifelong Boca fan turn out and under those circumstances, it seems highly unlikely to happen.

Not that it is an indication of Tevez returning to Manchester, with City apparently not sure either when that is likely to happen.

It must all be somewhat bewildering to Pizarro, the diminutive Chile midfielder, who has joined on loan from Roma for the remainder of the season.

The 32-year-old has already received some stick from his colleagues in Italy given he will now be wearing the light blue also associated with Roma's fierce rivals Lazio.

However, after falling out of favour in the capital, Pizarro, a member of Mancini's first title-winning squad at Inter, is eager to seize the opportunity that has presented itself.

"As a player, your career is defined by what your managers think about you," Pizarro told www.mcfc.co.uk.

"It is nice that the manager has shown confidence in me by bringing me here and it is a great opportunity to create history.

"I am aware of the huge investment that has been made in the squad and I also know it is quite a while since the league title was won.

"But, the period that Inter Milan started winning trophies again coincided with Roberto Mancini's arrival at the club. Let's hope history repeats itself.

"I arrived yesterday with City at the top of the league. They still are and I intend to finish with them in that same place."