Carlos Tevez: Take Two

By: Taylor Rockwell | January 6th, 2009

So, rather than do anything even resembling work, I’ve spent my entire morning reading about Carlos Tevez, the shady deal that took him to West Ham, the somewhat shadier deal that took him to United, and the resulting shite situation we find ourselves in now. And, as I read more and more, I start to wonder: is it possible that all of this drama is an intentional ploy by United to reduce Tevez’ market value? Obviously, what is about to be written is a fairly wingnut argument, but I’m running with it so… um… deal with it.

We signed Tevez to a two year loan last season. Prior to that, our need for a striker was fairly obvious. Indeed, United partnered Rooney with Saha, Ole, Alan Smith, and even signed Henrik Larsson in a desperate attempt to have a potent attack. Although United won the 06/07 campaign, the need for a striker was fairly obvious. Enter Carlos Tevez.

His transfer to West Ham was mired in controversy from the very start, and his ownership group nearly brought down the Premiership. West Ham was facing significant pressure from multiple sources, and seemed only too happy to be rid of the Argentinian (through no fault of his own). Obviously, that didn’t quite work out as they were hit with a record fine earlier this year.

I have no idea what the hell is going on and neither, it seems, does Carlos Tevez.

Regardless, off went Tevez to United and to Old Trafford came a double winning campaign. Tevez figured prominently throughout, scoring vital goals at vital times (including rocketing home the first penalty in the Champions League finals). The Rooney-Tevez partnership, which admittedly sputtered at first, picked up steam and (when Slave was on form) was always a legitimate threat to score.

Now comes Dimitar Berbatov. Ever since Fergie booted Ruud from Manchester, the Scotsman has been looking to sign an out-and-out goal poacher. Tevez has numerous talents, but a definitive finisher he is not. So now we have a situation where a Berba-Rooney partnership is favored, and Tevez (who, only a few months ago, seemed highly likely to sign a brand new, very lucrative contract) finds his way to the bench. And here, readers, is where the crackpottery begins.

Isn’t it possible that Ferguson realized early on that with the signing of Berba, one of the three would always end up sitting. Now, in that scenario, who is the most likely candidate to be left out?

Option A: The £30.75 million new summer transfer
Option B: The loyal youngster determined to become a United legend (with a lengthy contract already in place)
Option C: The world class striker with no set contract who, when in form, has a long list of suitors?

Why not play Options A and B, allow Option C’s value to plummet, and then sign him at a decreased price? Per the contract with MSI (his ownership company), United have first crack at Tevez after the two year loan expires. So, if he is left to rot on the bench and never gets considerable minutes, it would stand to reason that not a lot of teams will be willing to drop the required £20-£32 million required on “third choice player”. That would then pave the way for United to sign Tevez to a lengthy contract for a fraction of the original amount required.

Again, this is all most likely misguided, delirious ramblings, but if United could find a way to keep all three options in play, with a significant cost reduction, doesn’t it seem like an avenue they would explore?