Why Man City are right to keep hold of mercurial midfielder
Published:
There looks to have been one final swing in the Yaya Toure saga at Manchester City, after the club reportedly told him he is “too important to let go” following the conclusion of the Premier League season.
Currently on a post-season tour of America, Toure has been a subject of widespread rumours about his Etihad future, but looks to have finally put that talk to bed after his chatterbox agent’s latest revelations.
A matter of weeks after Dimitri Seluk claimed the midfielder was “90 per cent certain” to leave Manchester City this summer, the Ivorian’s representative has now gone full circle with his latest quotes, claiming the club have told Toure they will not be selling him.
Inter Milan, managed by the 32-year-old’s former boss Roberto Mancini, had been strongly linked with a move for the ex-Barcelona star this summer but that now looks to be dead in the water.
It is the right decision by City too, as Toure remains, along with Sergio Aguero, the big name in the squad capable of winning them matches on his own.
Some pundits, Gary Neville the most prominent of them, believe Toure isn’t suited to the type of style Manuel Pellegrini likes to adopt. They suggest playing Toure in a two-man central midfield is a waste of time and hurts both the team and the player’s ability to impact a game.
Whether the Chilean tactician, who is 11/4 to guide his club to the Premier League title next term, listens to those concerns and alters his normal 4-4-2 formation remains to be seen, but the prospect that Toure will still be at the club for that challenge is a huge positive.
City are widely expected to undergo a facelift this summer, with a number of high-earning, underachieving stars set to be jettisoned from a club that failed dismally to defend it’s Premier League crown this season.
Although an influx of young, primarily British, talent is predicted, those players will still need strong, experienced leaders to help guide them, which is just another pivotal role Toure can play next term.
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