No takers? Tevez decides to stay back at City

It was a double delight for Manchester City fans on Tuesday. Shortly after Carlos Tevez struck a brilliant brace to guide the team to a 3-0 win over FA Cup final opponents Stoke City, coach Roberto Mancini announced that the Argentinian striker will be staying back at the club. The victory saw City move into third place in the Premier League and inch closer to a guaranteed Champions League spot. [caption id=“attachment_11686” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Manchester City coach Roberto Mancini (R) says there’s no problem between him and Carlos Tevez. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images”] [/caption] Tevez, who is now joint top scorer (with Dimitar Berbatov of Manchester United) in the Premier League with 20 goals, has been dogged by rumours about his future since submitting a transfer request in December. But, Mancini said he had held several meetings with Tevez during the past three weeks and had been assured that Tevez wasn’t going anywhere. “He has said he wants to stay,” Mancini said after Joleon Lescott completed the rout with a second-half header. “He’s got a five-year contract here and he told me this (that he would stay) before and after the Cup final. I’ve spoken with him many times in the last 20 days and it’s my opinion that he will stay here next season.” “He is an important and a fantastic player,” the City boss told reporters at the post-match conference. “We don’t have a problem,” he added. Mancini’s remarks come as a surprise as only three days ago Tevez talked about having family issues living in Eastlands. The Argentinian had spoken of shifting base to Italy or Spain so that he could be closer to his two daughters, who currently live with their mother in Buenos Aires. Also, his relationship with Mancini has been strained at times and he had submitted a written transfer request before Christmas. However, the buzz in the northern city is that the 27-year-old striker has gradually come to realise that there may not be any potential buyers for him. As someone who costs in the region of £50 million and earns in excess of £250,000 a week, Tevez despite being linked with Internazionale, Real Madrid and Chelsea, would’ve realised that the cost implications are too high even for clubs with deeper pockets. “I think he’ll stay here and I don’t think he will change his mind later (in the summer),” Mancini said. Pressed further, the Italian added: “We are playing in the Champions League and will probably have a better squad because we can now buy better players.” “We had a problem in December but everyone can change their mind. Carlos is an important player. I don’t think he’d find another club anywhere where he would be so appreciated,” said Mancini. With inputs from Reuters