As Derek McGovern put it in the Daily Mirror this week: “since the start of December, Manchester City have kissed goodbye to the Champions League, to the FA Cup and to the Carling Cup, but not to Carlos Tevez.” And so it was that perhaps the most surprising aspect of the transfer window is the fact that Carlos is still at the Etihad.

In recent months it was said he was going to PSG, to one of the Milan Clubs, back to South America, that he was going to retire from football, but nothing has happened, except he has been pictured playing golf in the sunshine while his team mates were training in the cold and his agent Kia Joorabchian has collected more Air Miles than its possible to use.

And then last week – with time running out to see the player leaving the club – a story emerged with set out the staggering amount of money that Tevez was missing out on.

These forfeited payments included a SIX MILLION POUND loyalty bonus, £1.2m in lost wages for his initial disappearing act, another £1.7m because City haven’t paid him since November and a £400,000 penalty for the now infamous refusal to come on as a sub against Bayern Munich.

These stories were subsequently denied by Joorabchian’s Media Advisor, former NOTW Sports Editor Paul McCarthy, who said there was no animosity on his client’s behalf, and the striker had waived his rights to wages deliberately and explained: “It was never an economic situation with Carlos.”

Of course, it is easy not have “economic” worries when it turns out that you earn nearly £10m in five months, lets be honest, if Carlos Tevez – who lets not forgot is 27 years old – fancies living in luxury and not doing another days work in his life then he can do it. The sums of money involved are ludicrous and beyond our comprehension, but now isn’t the time to discuss whether footballers get too much money, but rather to ask who this unedifying can be ended?

It appears that City’s asking price is putting people off – £25m allegedly for a player that hasn’t kicked a ball since September and comes with, shall we say, baggage – and whether his continued non appearance is a strategy to bring his price down is debatable, but this has been denied by Tevez’s side.
And as much as we can say that the player himself can cheerfully remain on the beach, wouldn’t he, deep down want to play the game he is gifted to perform in? He must surely have the hunger that got him to the top level in the first place?

That being the case, it appears that there are still three options for him. First he could move to Russia still (their transfer window is open for another month) second, perhaps he could make some sort of return to West Ham, or third, is there no chance of a truce – however uneasy it would be – and the player pulling on the Sky Blue shirt again?

 
There are problems with all these suggestions, not least is what sort of physical condition is Tevez in after his inactivity – we all know how hard players have to work in pre –season to get fit and that after only a couple of months, so if he does any of those things we suggest it might be of no immediate use to any of the parties involved. And of course he won’t be named in Man City’s squad for the rest of the season, so can’t play for them.

Which is perhaps the saddest thing of all. One of the best strikers in the world is, in theory, at the peak of his career and yet is playing golf in South America. One day, at some point in the future, Carlos Tevez will look back on his life and realise he has made a terrible mistake.