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Back in 1966 and again in 1970, the West Ham and England captain Bobby Moore agitated for a move to Tottenham. On both of these occasions, the Hammers boss Ron Greenwood vetoed the move and Moore had no choice but to live with the decision.

Bobby Moore was one of the greatest players in the world, but in those days it was the clubs that wielded the power and there was precious little a footballer could do if the club were determined to retain his services.

If Moore were playing today, he would have a lot more options. He could let his contract run down and leave on a lucrative free transfer, or buy out his contract and leave on a free immediately. Then there is the option of going on strike, in an effort to force the club to agree to a transfer.

All of these options are ones open to Carlos Tevez, who is apparently desperate to leave Manchester City. These days, if a top footballer wants to leave his club, then the chances are that he'll get his wish... eventually.

Tevez may have to play a waiting game, because of all the clubs to try and force a transfer from, Manchester City are perhaps the most powerful. No other team could afford to banish one of football's top talent to the reserves and still go out and spend fortunes on a replacement, but City are one such team.

Although this is the hard-line option that City could take, I tend to think that pragmatism could take over. The Arabs at Eastlands might have a bottomless oil well of money, but they are working towards ridding the club of the sort of losses that might see them banned from European competition in a few years time.

If the recent claims of Rodney Marsh are correct and Tevez does earn £286,000 a week, then that is an awfully expensive reserve, even for Manchester City. It is also unlikely to do wonders for the team morale to have a divisive figure such as Tevez, still around the club.

There is talk that Tevez may go on strike or try to retire. Again, City have the finances to absorb the loss and take legal action, but it would be to the detriment of the club's short term aims.

The moralists might prefer City to stay strong and see if Tevez is really prepared to forsake his career, but the pragmatists would see that the best way forward is to bend a little.

What might be the best result for City is if they agreed to make Tevez available for transfer at the end of the season, in return for the player continuing to play until May. He is the most important player in the team and with him City look likely to qualify for the Champions League and could even challenge for the title. City are 1.42 to finish in the top four and 8.6 to win the league.

Without Tevez, City could well fall short of their ambitions. Although of course there is always the possibility that they could buy someone like Fernando Torres in January and that's why they are such a fascinating club right now.

As was the case with his former colleague Cristiano Ronaldo, it might prove that Carlos Tevez has to wait a while for his move, but he'll probably get his wish. It is the players who are the most powerful forces in football nowadays and the irony for City is that one of the reasons for this situation, is because certain clubs are willing to pay vastly inflated salaries.


By Dan Fitch

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