By Chris Wright
It’s that time of year again and Dimitri Seluk, Yaya Toure’s monetary council, has been yarbling on again about how his client is “90% certain” to leave Manchester City at the end of the season.
Just like last season, and the season before. Oh, and the season before that too.
Today, Seluk has emerged from his underground lair to loudly inform Sky Sports News that three clubs are keen to sign his client, who will not be making any decision about his future until the summer – helpfully giving everybody three or four weeks’ notice to cobble their opening offers together.
This is all allied with Toure whispering in Foot Mercato’s ear last month that he’s “open to new challenges” and that “PSG are a great club”. Drip, drip, drip.
It’s the same old rigmarole we go through with this pair every May/June/July, all in the hunt for mo’ money from wherever they can source it.
Seriously, we can’t understand why more City fans don’t scorn the way Toure and his grubbing Mr 15% have systematically and repeatedly held the club to ransom during his five years at The Etihad given the way most football fans abhor overt mercenary-ism.
Maybe it’s just not much of an issue when you know your club is sitting on cash reserves bigger than those of C. Montgomery Burns and Scrooge McDuck combined.
Also, maybe Toure has just been good, nay – vital enough to get away with it in the past, but that’s where it all differs this time round.
Seluk’s prize cash cow hasn’t quite had the season to back up his strategic agitating. There’s just not enough leverage to begin politicking this time, given how slap-dash and underwhelming Toure has been all year.
Yaya will be 32 in a week’s time (you know how he struggles with birthdays) and it looks like City are getting less and less value for the £250,000 they’re already throwing at him every seven days.
If he’s rooting around for even more to stay on past July then surely this is the perfect juncture to cut the cord and start priming a (relatively) cheaper replacement? P-O-G-B-A.
What sayeth thou Pies/City fans? He’s been monolithic for City for several years, but is it now time for Yaya (and his agent) to be cut loose?