Golden chance for Tevez

WE will learn a lot about Carlos Tevez in the coming weeks. Maybe not to the extent of what his favourite Michael Jackson song is – Man in the Mirror, I’m guessing - but more importantly, how seriously he takes his football career. If rumours are to be believed, the Argentine striker’s next club will be either Manchester City or Chelsea. A year ago, there would have been no choice; Tevez would have simply emptied his locker at Manchester United’s Carrington training complex, and been sipping cocktails on the Kings Road with John Terry et al within hours.

So, what’s changed? In a word, nothing. Chelsea are still the attractive proposition they were a year ago; hungry, determined, successful and with more than a decent shout of winning one of the major trophies, whilst City, for all their financial muscle flexing are, ultimately, the same proposition they were this time last year, albeit with a couple more decent players thrown in; ambitious, deluded, success-starved and with a decent shout of…..winning the Carling Cup.

The diminutive forward has a divine opportunity to show football supporters everywhere that a bulging trophy cabinet is far more precious than a bulging bank account. Don’t let us down, Carlos.

Hats off to Arsene

ARSENE WENGER, the Arsenal manager, is reported to have turned down a £6m per-year salary to join Real Madrid. The Frenchman met with Madrid officials on more than one occasion but, in the end, the opportunity to oversee his young side come to the fore proved more appealing than being able to spend £150m on the world’s finest talent in a matter of days.

Wenger accused the Spanish club of wanting to create a “spectacular team” at any cost, before reiterating his desire to stay in North London, saying: “I want to have success by building a team with a style, with a know-how, with a culture of play specific to the club and its fans and with young people. My intention is to take that project to the ultimate end.”

Having had to work within a strict budget for a number of years at Arsenal, few could begrudge Wenger the opportunity to play fantasy football with unlimited funds at the Bernabeu. However, once again, he has proved that you can’t put a price on loyalty. Let’s hope those same fans that were deriding him for Arsenal’s lack of success in recent years a few weeks ago, appreciate what they have got.

Hope and glory.....and failure

ENGLAND’S under-21s should be applauded for their efforts in Sweden. The fact that they were the first side from this country to reach a football final in 16 years at any level tells its own story, yet there are lessons to be learnt, nowhere more so than in the mentality of the players.

England went into Monday’s final as favourites, but you would never have guessed that by watching the game. Germany may not have set the competition alight in the group stages – as England did – but, ultimately, they came good when it mattered most. Overall, the tournament was a relative success, with Kieron Gibbs and Jack Rodwell in particular, catching the eye, but Stuart Pearce’s claim that “we need to produce more creative Mesut Ozil types” should not fall on deaf ears. The German number 10 was a joy to watch, and this time next year could be lighting up South Africa.

Robbie thrown to the sharks

ROBERTO DI MATTEO has been confirmed as the new manager at West Brom after only one season in charge at the MK Dons, and he will hope that the move doesn’t prove to be too big a step too soon, as Paul Ince found during his brief tenure at Ewood Park last season.

The former Chelsea and Italy midfielder has taken to management like a duck to water, steering the Milton Keynes outfit to the League One play-offs in his debut season as a manager, but in the Baggies, he takes on a side that will be expected to bounce straight back into the Premiership at the first time of asking.

The Championship is a notoriously tough division to navigate, and with the likes of Newcastle and Middlesbrough joining the party, it doesn’t look like getting any easier. Di Matteo was a fantastic player in his pomp; cool, calm and clinical. He will need all of those qualities and more if he is to avoid the same fate that befell Ince, who is now, ironically, in the running to return to the MK Dons.

Far from the real deal

AS Real Madrid confirm that they have paid £56m to AC Milan for the services of Brazilian playmaker Kaka, smashing the world-record transfer fee in the process, one question keeps nagging away; why would he want to sign for a club that makes Newcastle United look stable?

Madrid are a prime example of a club living off past glories, and the fact so many top players want to sign for them is a complete mystery. They change manager more often than Chelsea, and conduct their business affairs in a shoddier manner than one of Alan Sugar’s apprentices. True, they generally finish in the top two in Spain, but that’s akin to saying Rangers usually finish in the top two in Scotland.

They have failed to make any impact in the Champions League for a number of years, and their 5-0 aggregate drubbing at the hands of Liverpool came as no surprise to knowledgeable football fans. That it was closely followed by a 6-2 home defeat by Barcelona merely confirmed their current standing in the European game.

There is certainly no doubting Kaka’s ability, and he may well prove to be a success in La Liga. However, how many players that have moved to the Bernabeu in recent years have taken their game up a level? Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Ruud Van Nistelrooy have all but disappeared off the radar, and for £56m, the flamboyant no.10 will certainly be expected to buck that trend.

Carlo to win the lot-ti?

CARLO ANCELOTTI takes over as Chelsea manager on July 1, and if he is to win the Premier League title or Champions League in his debut season, some astute transfer business is a must. This is a massive pre-season for the Blues, as their ageing side needs reshaping, and if Roman Abramovich is prepared to back the new boss financially, Chelsea have a great chance of winning one of the major trophies.

The Russian owner was said to have craved Kaka at the Bridge, but there are plenty more fish in the sea. A wide player and another striker are essential, whilst Frank Lampard could certainly do with a creative midfielder alongside him in the middle of the park; Michael Ballack is not the answer, and he should feel very fortunate to have been offered a one-year extension to his contract.

The likes of Ribery, Villa and Pato have been mentioned, and players of that ilk are what Ancelotti needs to take the side up another couple of notches. In terms of sales, Deco, after a bright start, has barely featured, and is set to join Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan, whilst Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho, Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou could all be deemed surplus to requirements.

Whatever happens, the new man at the helm will need to hit the ground running. As Luiz Felipe Scolari will testify, Abramovich is not the most patient of men. Over to you, Carlo.

Nice to have you back, Diego

HE could do things with the ball that others could only dream about and, now, it seems, he can be just as mesmerising with his mouth. Quote of the week comes from one Diego Maradona, the current Argentina manager.

On rumours that he had fallen out with one of his assistants, Sergio Batista: “I don’t know what’s wrong with him, maybe he’s having his period right now…maybe he just needs some attention and a kiss on the mouth.”

At times magical, but infuriating in equal measure, one thing Maradona could never be accused of is being dull.