The Sun Newspaper

Subterms

    More stories

    • 250 Shares139 Views

      in Soccer

      Harry Kane can beat Alan Shearer’s 260-goal haul if he gets summer transfer with Man Utd, City and Chelsea keen

      by

      HARRY KANE wants a move because he’s desperate to play for a trophy-winning team.Well, if he gets his wish, I think he’ll have a massive individual record to his name when he retires, too — as the Premier League’s all-time top scorer.
      Harry Kane is ready to wave goodbye to Tottenham in the summerCredit: PA
      Alan Shearer is top of the list with 260 and Harry is still the best part of a hundred behind him right now.
      But if he turns up in Manchester or at Chelsea, it really wouldn’t surprise me if he ended up with even more.
      He’s 27, could stay at the top for another five years and, if that is the case, you’d have to fancy him to be the top man by the time he finished.
      It’s quite ironic, really, because I see Shearer’s move to Blackburn 30 years ago as very similar to Kane now.
      When Jack Walker broke the British transfer record to take him to Ewood Park in 1992, it was for one reason — he knew Shearer could win the title for Rovers.
      However daft it seems now, £3.6million was a huge amount at the time, but it was a signing which came with as big a guarantee as you can get.
      Shearer was no risk. Jack knew he was buying someone who’d score goals, had a great attitude and would hit the ground running.
      It will be the same for whoever signs Kane, too. You know exactly what you’re getting — which in this case is the best centre-forward in the world.
      BETTING SPECIAL – GET 25/1 ON SALAH TO SCORE AGAINST CRYSTAL PALACE
      Alan Shearer is the Premier League’s top scorer with 260 goalsCredit: PA
      Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is ready to make the move for KaneCredit: Reuters
      That’s why, if I was still managing and had the choice between him, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, I’d go for Harry every day of the week.
      As good as the other two are, no one could say for definite how they’d take to the Premier League, how long it would take them to adapt.
      With Harry, there’s no risk, no gamble, no settling in. He’d be ready to go from day one.
      Look, Mbappe and Haaland are both brilliant young players who could be around for the best part of ten years, or have a massive sell-on clause.
      But as manager, I’m interested in the next four seasons — and Kane guarantees you 30 goals every time, barring injuries.
      Shearer and Blackburn showed what a massive difference one man can make — and Harry is the same. You’re talking another 15 points, that’s the impact he’d have.
      For Manchester United or Chelsea, that makes the gap a heck of a lot closer, maybe even turns you into champions.
      WIN £50,000! Play Dream Team Euros – our FREE fantasy football game 
      WIN £50,000 with Dream Team EurosDream Team Euros is HERE!
      The best fantasy football game to accompany Euro 2020 has arrived.
      And you can play absolutely FREE for your chance to win the £50,000 jackpot.
      CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR FREE!
      Dream Team Euros

      £50,000 jackpot
      The best fantasy football game this summer
      Play in mini-leagues against your mates, colleagues, family members – and some hand-picked celebrities
      FREE to play

      Harry Redknapp is backing Harry Kane to smash the Premier League recordCredit: PA
      For City, it means you carry on winning titles, but by a wider margin — and if Harry went there, he’d certainly be joining the best team right now.
      Can you imagine how many goals he’d end up with playing for Pep Guardiola, given the number of chances they create?
      With some strikers, you’re thinking, ‘Is he going to finish it?’ With Harry, you’re thinking, ‘Where’s he going to finish it,’ because you never feel he’s going to miss.
      For me, he’s the best centre-forward in the world, bar none, but there’s a lot more to his game than just goals. He’s the best passer Spurs have got, he can play a killer ball, his range is incredible and,of course, he’s incredible in the air.
      In my book, Kane has got everything, he’s the full package.
      That’s why Daniel Levy will demand the earth. He certainly won’t say, “You’ve done great with us, didn’t cost us anything” and wish him all the best.
      Someone will have to pay stupid money — and it’s not beyond the realms that he could still be a Spurs player next season.
      But as for not wanting to sell him to a major rival, where else is he going to go? With all due respect, Kane’s not going to end up at Burnley or Brighton.
      If Harry stays at Spurs, I don’t think he’ll down tools. He’ll put the shirt on and work his socks off — unlike some other players I could mention.
      I had one — a very well-known player whose name I’ll keep quiet — who wanted to move and said: “If you don’t sell me, I’ll put one in my own goal.”

      There’s no danger of that with Harry. He’s more like Luka Modric (above), when Chelsea wanted to sign him.
      He came to tell me they’d offered double the wages we were paying him, but we didn’t want to sell, and he played another year before getting a move to Real Madrid.
      But really, I can’t see Harry sticking around for another season, and someone is going to end up getting value for money — even at that crazy price.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Man Utd boss Solskjaer hints at new striker transfer amid Harry Kane and Danny Ings links More

    • 238 Shares109 Views

      in Soccer

      West Brom chasing ex-Sheff Utd boss Chris Wilder to lead charge back to Premier League but face uphill struggle

      by

      WEST BROM are facing a tough battle to talk Chris Wilder into leading them back to the Premier League.Barnsley boss Valerien Ismael may be approached instead if Wilder does not have the appetite to replace Sam Allardyce.
      West Brom want Chris Wilder to lead the charge back to the Premier LeagueCredit: PA
      Wilder and Ismael are at the top of the Baggies’ shortlist after Allardyce decided to leave following the first relegation of his career.
      West Brom chiefs would prefer to make a quick appointment.
      But Wilder is willing to wait for a Premier League job as he thinks he has proved himself since taking Sheffield United to a top-ten finish in his first season in the top flight.
      And the shrewd boss has told pals he may even hold out for the first round of sackings next season — with Newcastle a potential move in his sights.
      Wilder, who left in March, is still being paid by the Blades but that should not be a problem if he decides to take on a post before that arrangement runs out.
      A big offer from the Baggies could swing it but they are offering £25,000 a week plus a bonus for going up — which is much less than Wilder was on at Bramall Lane.
      Main rival Ismael has done a remarkable job at Barnsley and could be tempted to move to a club with a bigger budget.
      However, Frenchman Ismael is also a serious contender for the Crystal Palace vacancy — and could yet get that call while he waits on West Brom to commit.
      WIN £50,000! Play Dream Team Euros – our FREE fantasy football game  
      Barnsley boss Valerien Ismael also remains on West Brom’s shortlistCredit: PAWIN £50,000 with Dream Team EurosDream Team Euros is HERE!

      The best fantasy football game to accompany Euro 2020 has arrived.
      And you can play absolutely FREE for your chance to win the £50,000 jackpot.
      CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR FREE!
      Dream Team Euros

      £50,000 jackpot
      The best fantasy football game this summer
      Play in mini-leagues against your mates, colleagues, family members – and some hand-picked celebrities
      FREE to play

      BETTING SPECIAL – GET 25/1 ON SALAH TO SCORE AGAINST CRYSTAL PALACE
      Another possible is former Fulham chief Slavisa Jokanovic — now in Qatar — who is also in talks with Sheffield United.
      Albion want experience but could yet speak to Aston Villa assistant John Terry if they cannot agree terms with those who have a promotion on their CV.
      Meanwhile, QPR are set to sign veteran keeper Andy Lonergan, 37, after he leaves West Brom.
      The former Liverpool reserve would take on the challenge of fighting Seny Dieng for a game at the R’s after the departure of No 2 choice Joe Lumley.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Sam Allardyce will leave West Brom at the end of the season after failing to keep Baggies in the Premier League – Sky Sports More

    • 225 Shares129 Views

      in Soccer

      Wayne and Coleen Rooney’s £20m ‘Mini Versailles’ mega-mansion finally finished after 4yrs as pair prepare to move in

      by

      THE Rooneys are finally ready to move into their £20million mega-mansion.Their new pile — four years in the making — had been likened to a Morrisons supermarket as it took shape.
      Wayne and Coleen Rooney’s incredible new ‘Mini Versailles’ home is completeCredit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvin Media
      Now the finishing touches are being applied, Wayne and Coleen jokingly call it a “Mini Versailles” — a reference to the grandiose 17th-century French Palace.
      The Rooneys’ pad may not have the 2,300 rooms of the original but it does come with bespoke furniture throughout.
      It should have been ready at the start of the year but Covid restrictions led to repeated setbacks. A source said Coleen considered moving in early to give the builders “some focus”.
      But they finally finished after a deadline was imposed.
      The multi-millionaire couple are hoping to be in by the end of the monthCredit: instagram
      Our exclusive pictures show the country pad, referred to by the couple as ‘Mini Versailles’Credit: Chris White
      Large JCB-style diggers have been seen on the site as it nears completionCredit: Zenpix
      Wayne and Coleen, both 35, and their four boys now plan to fully move in by the end of the month.
      Builders’ cabins have all been removed and last week the land-scapers arrived to finish off the gardens. The source said: “It’s been a difficult and often frustrating process but it’s all but done and ready to move into.
      “Wayne and Coleen are absolutely thrilled with it.
      “It’s been a long time coming, but the best things come to those who wait. They’ve still got their other house nearby so are gradually moving between both homes until everything is in.”

      Work is nearly complete on a grand entrance to the £20million propertyCredit: Chris White
      The vast home in Cheshire has seen landscapers hard as work finishing the gardensCredit: Chris White
      The Rooneys will be surrounded by rolling green fields and country air
      The six-bedroom pile sits on a 40-acre plot in Knutsford, Cheshire, and boasts stables, a six-car garage, an orangery and two man-made fishing lakes.
      There is a whisky and cigar room for Wayne, boss of Championship side Derby County, and a football pitch.
      The mansion also boasts a television room, bar, wine store, snooker room, cinema, gym, hot tub, swimming pool, plunge pool and steam room.
      There is also a main entrance hall, study and a library, plus two lifts — one for the family, the other for visitors.
      There are security cameras surveying the property, which sits in 40 acresCredit: Zenpix

      After an attempted burglary at their home in 2016, builders have created an underground escape route linking the pad to the nearby garage and stable block.
      The ultra-secure tunnel has steel doors at either end. In the event of intruders, it can whisk Wayne, Coleen and sons Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass off to safety.
      Inside Wayne and Coleen Rooney’s jaw-dropping £5k-a-week ‘caravan park’ holiday to Wales More

    • 275 Shares99 Views

      in Soccer

      Roy Hodgson jokes Liverpool might lock Crystal Palace in Anfield as veteran vows not to roll over in final game as boss

      by

      ROY HODGSON joked Crystal Palace might be locked inside the Anfield dressing room if he deprives Liverpool of Champions League football.Managing in the Premier League for the final time, the 73-year-old former Reds boss insisted revenge is not on his mind.
      Roy Hodgson will oversee his final game as a manager at Anfield on Sunday
      Anything but a victory for Jurgen Klopp’s men would open the door for Leicester to snatch a top-four spot at Liverpool’s expense.
      Palace boss Hodgson said: “Well, we might not get out of Anfield if we win! That could be the only problem. We might be locked in the dressing room for a good while.
      “But we’re an honest bunch here at Palace. We talk a lot about integrity and the Premier League is one of the great leagues in the world for showing integrity.
      “I don’t know if we’ll be good enough to go to Anfield and win. But I do know that whatever 11 players put on that Palace shirt they’ll be busting a gut to win.
      “If we don’t win, it’ll probably be because on the day Liverpool played better than us.”
      Hodgson struggled at Liverpool, lasting just six months before being replaced with Sir Kenny Dalglish by new owners.
      Yet there is no bitterness at the way he was treated when he was sacked in January 2011.
      WIN £50,000! Play Dream Team Euros – our FREE fantasy football game 
      WIN £50,000 with Dream Team EurosDream Team Euros is HERE!
      The best fantasy football game to accompany Euro 2020 has arrived.
      And you can play absolutely FREE for your chance to win the £50,000 jackpot.
      CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR FREE!
      Dream Team Euros

      £50,000 jackpot
      The best fantasy football game this summer
      Play in mini-leagues against your mates, colleagues, family members – and some hand-picked celebrities
      FREE to play

      Hodgson said: “I came at a time when the club was definitely in flux.
      “Liverpool decided to go in a different direction and I’ve no hard feelings or regrets about that. I understand that this is part and parcel of football life.
      “Since then I’ve had lots of contact with Liverpool people.
      “There’s no doubt the club has gone from strength to strength, not least with the appointment of Jurgen Klopp and all the things he has done.
      “Revenge isn’t the right word because it would be so hard to get revenge.”Hodgson and lieutenant Ray Lewington received an “unbelievably generous” gift from Palace’s players on Friday morning.
      BETTING SPECIAL – GET 25/1 ON SALAH TO SCORE AGAINST CRYSTAL PALACE
      Sign up to play Dream Team 20/21 now

      It’s completely free to play
      Play the traditional Season game as well as Draft
      There’s a hefty jackpot up for grabs across 2020/21
      SIGN UP TO PLAY HERE

      A new manager will be appointed this summer but, after nearly four years in charge, Hodgson warned club chiefs — be careful what you wish for.
      He said: “If I was coming into the club now, if I was chairman or sporting director, I’d be a bit worried about this. Now’s the time to push on.
      “What does ‘pushing on’ mean? You have to be so careful.
      “The stability of the club is a very important factor. I believe the club will push on. They will get better and stronger.

      “Being in the Premier League is a vital component of teams like us.
      “I’d prefer my departure to be met with the fact there is a stable base, there is a good group of players and the club is in very good condition, playing-wise and financially.”
       CRYSTAL PALACE (likely): Guaita; Ward, Tomkins, Cahill, Mitchell; Kouyate, McCarthy, Schlupp; Townsend, Benteke, Zaha.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Liverpool vs Crystal Palace – Watch LIVE, channel info and kick-off time More

    • 200 Shares99 Views

      in Soccer

      Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta insists finishing above Tottenham is ‘nowhere near enough’ as he targets glory

      by

      MIKEL ARTETA is not getting too excited at the prospect of celebrating St Totteringham’s Day again — as Arsenal are nowhere near where they should be.If Spurs fail to win at Leicester tomorrow, the Gunners can overtake their bitter local rivals with a final-day home victory over Brighton.
      Mikel Arteta is focused on winning trophies for Arsenal after a disappointing campaign
      That would be the first time since 2016 that Arsenal have finished the season as top dogs of North London after 22 unbroken years of lording it over the mob from the other end of the Seven Sisters Road.
      And the prospect of nicking the last European spot from Spurs would only add to the party atmosphere for Arsenal fans, who have not had a lot to cheer about recently.
      Boss Arteta understands the importance of the occasion and said: “Anything that makes our supporters happy and helps us to get to a better position is all positive.”
      Yet even if Arsenal do climb above both Spurs and Everton to secure Europa Conference League qualific­ation, it will not be nearly enough for their demanding manager.
      He said: “We have two more points than last season — but it’s nowhere near where we want to be.
      “Every Arsenal supporter should be aiming for us to be winning trophies and, when that is not the case, they are not going to be happy. There cannot be any other ambition at this football club.
      “But there is only one winner of the Champions League and one winner of the Premier League and the rest of the teams all failed.
      “Finishing second or third is not a big achievement but our supporters know what has been going on here.
      “It’s not because of what has happened today, yesterday or last year. We all know where this club used to be, but that is the past and now we need to focus on the future.”
      WIN £50,000! Play Dream Team Euros – our FREE fantasy football game  
      WIN £50,000 with Dream Team EurosDream Team Euros is HERE!
      The best fantasy football game to accompany Euro 2020 has arrived.
      And you can play absolutely FREE for your chance to win the £50,000 jackpot.
      CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR FREE!
      Dream Team Euros

      £50,000 jackpot
      The best fantasy football game this summer
      Play in mini-leagues against your mates, colleagues, family members – and some hand-picked celebrities
      FREE to play

      While Arteta accepts his team has fallen well short on the pitch, he says his greatest achievement has simply been keeping the club intact when they have been under attack from all sides.
      The Spaniard explained: “The best thing this season has been to keep everybody together in circumstances when we were not winning.
      “And so many people, some inside the club and some outside, were trying to hurt us.
      “Maintaining a strong block with the team, the staff and all the employees is some achievement because usually when that happens everything cracks and falls apart.
      “A lot of things happened between September to December and it was my job to eliminate those issues.”
      Asked whether those internal wreckers are still at the club, he simply replied: “No.”
      And though he stopped short of identifying the enemy within, it does not take a genius to work out who he is referring to when you consider the lengths the club went to in paying off Mesut Ozil, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Shkodran Mustafi in January.
      BETTING SPECIAL – GET 25/1 ON SALAH TO SCORE AGAINST CRYSTAL PALACE
      Arsenal’s form has improved since Mesut Ozil’s departure despite the occasional hiccup
      Losing in the semi-finals of the Europa League to Villarreal had appeared to end Arsenal’s hopes of qualifying for Europe for a 26th consecutive season.
      But now they could sneak into the inaugural Europa Conference League and Arteta is not going to turn his nose up at the opportunity.
      He added: “It’s a new competition so I don’t really know what will happen. But, first of all, let’s try to qualify and then we can look at the best ways to approach it.

      “We have experienced in the last few years how tough it has been in the Europa League with the amount of games you play and the short turnaround you have all the time.
      “There is a lot of history of the Europa League having negative consequences on the Premier League positions.
      “We gave it our best go this season and came up a little bit short. But this club has to be in Europe.”
      ARSENAL (likely): Leno, Chambers, Holding, Mari, Tierney, Partey, Xhaka, Pepe, Smith Rowe, Saka, Aubameyang.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Mikel Arteta confirms Joe Willock will return to Arsenal after stunning Newcastle loan in Toon transfer blow More

    • 213 Shares99 Views

      in Soccer

      Arsenal, Tottenham and Everton face fixture nightmare at start of 2021-22 season due to Europa Conference League

      by

      THE team which qualifies for the Europa Conference League faces a nightmare start to the season because of the need to win a play-off round to enter the competition.Tottenham, Everton and Arsenal are all fighting to seal a seventh-placed finish in the Premier League on the final day – with West Ham needing just a point to clinch sixth.
      Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal will leapfrog two places to finish seventh if they beat Brighton and Tottenham and Everton loseCredit: Getty
      Spurs caretaker-chief Ryan Mason hopes to at least cling onto seventh place, although keeping Harry Kane is surely a bigger ambitionCredit: Getty
      Carlo Ancelotti’s eighth-placed Everton visit Man City in Sunday’s finaleCredit: AP
      The reward for the side who come seventh is a spot in Uefa’s new third division tournament – meaning two extra games in the first fortnight of the new campaign.
      For the English side in the competition enters in the final play-off stage, with the first leg of that on August 19.
      That is the Thursday after the opening weekend of the 2021-22 Premier League season, with the second leg the following week.
      It means players who face a shortened break and pre-season because of the Euros will then have to come back into a schedule including four games in the first 14 days of the new campaign.
      The group stage of the competition begins in earnest at the end of September, with matches played on a Thursday.
      West Ham must only avoid defeat at home to Southampton to avoid the early-season congestion of the Europa Conference League.
      WIN £50,000 with Dream Team EurosDream Team Euros is HERE!
      The best fantasy football game to accompany Euro 2020 has arrived.
      And you can play absolutely FREE for your chance to win the £50,000 jackpot.
      CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR FREE!
      Dream Team Euros

      £50,000 jackpot
      The best fantasy football game this summer
      Play in mini-leagues against your mates, colleagues, family members – and some hand-picked celebrities
      FREE to play

      FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE
      Spurs are currently seventh but seemingly face a tough finale – at fifth-placed Champions League hopefuls Leicester.
      Everton are below Tottenham only on goal difference but travel to runaway champions Manchester City.
      That could let in Arsenal, who are a point below in ninth but have a home send-off against lowly Brighton.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Mikel Arteta confirms Joe Willock will return to Arsenal after stunning Newcastle loan in Toon transfer blow More

    • 188 Shares169 Views

      in Soccer

      Wantaway stars usually get their way.. there’s no magic formula to get them to stay

      by

      THERE ought to be a magic formula by which a valued player who wishes to leave a club can be persuaded to stay. But there isn’t.Pound notes might do it, a better contract or simple persuasion have been known to succeed, but when a player is determined enough, he  usually gets his way.
      Spurs will surely find it hard to keep Harry Kane if the England skipper is truly determined to leave in his bid to win silverwareCredit: Getty
      West Ham were devastated to lose Dimitri Payet to Marseille in 2017Credit: AP:Associated Press
      I have had one or two cases in my career, the most upsetting being Dimitri Payet in 2017.
      His determination to return to Marseille resurfaced and after he made it clear he wanted to go, we decided with the utmost reluctance to let him.
      He said about his departure from West Ham that “It’s what  I wanted. It was clear from  the start”.
      It’s hard to swallow,  especially as he really was that seductive a player, among the best we’ve had in my time.
      Payet was a victim of one of the causes for demanding a move.
      His family were stubborn about not wanting to move from Marseille and the separation increasingly affected him.
      In some ways I had sympathy for him but it was his decision to join us and Slaven Bilic, our manager at the time, thought he would settle.
      WIN £50,000 with Dream Team EurosDream Team Euros is HERE!
      The best fantasy football game to accompany Euro 2020 has arrived.
      And you can play absolutely FREE for your chance to win the £50,000 jackpot.
      CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR FREE!
      Dream Team Euros

      £50,000 jackpot
      The best fantasy football game this summer
      Play in mini-leagues against your mates, colleagues, family members – and some hand-picked celebrities
      FREE to play

      It didn’t work out and Payet’s stylish inventiveness was badly missed.
      Some of our fans called him a “traitor”, emphasising the level of passion such a move generates.
      I imagine that degree of emotion will be repeated at Tottenham should Harry Kane be sold.
      There are many reasons why a player should wish to find another club.
      I’ve heard most of them, ranging from pay to prospects, from homesickness to discontent with the manager.
      The most laughable was Robbie Savage’s claim that he wanted to leave Birmingham to be closer to his parents by joining Blackburn, even though it is further away from his  parents, who lived in Wrexham!
      But he got his way after admitting that to force the issue he decided to “go onto a football pitch and not try”. It worked, but even he admitted it was not a nice thing to do.
      Karren Brady says West Ham losing Dimitri Payet was particularly hard to takeCredit: PR Handout – Free to use
      Once a player has announced that he wishes to go, he regards it as having packed his bags with a taxi waiting outside the changing room.
      Usually, he has his way because there is no point in keeping a player who lusts  for elsewhere.
       Maybe he will, as they say, fulfil his ambitions, but this doesn’t always work out.
      It doesn’t appear to have for Marko Arnautovic, who left West Ham two years ago after a shortish but successful stay — successful in goals terms at least. 
      The Austrian and his feckless agent-brother decided riches offered by Shanghai SIPG overbid the recent contract he had signed at West Ham and consequently there was a bad atmosphere around. Again, we were forced to let him go.
      Arnautovic has now done his Marco Polo exploration to China and wants to  return home.
      A football club is actually a delicate mechanism, built on trust and team integrity. Every man or woman must pull their weight or the edifice falls, sometimes to the division below.
      Nothing cracks the walls like the fakers of injury and non- triers whose disruption stems from wanting their own way.
      BETTING SPECIAL – GET 25/1 ON SALAH TO SCORE AGAINST CRYSTAL PALACE

      Team-mates know who they are and soon there may be havoc in the dressing room. I have heard of fights in the showers and even a punch-up involving the manager.
      The trick where possible is not to let it get to the point where a player wants to leave.
      This is not always possible and is particularly the case when a star is not tempted by wealth.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Sam Allardyce will leave West Brom at the end of the season after failing to keep Baggies in the Premier League – Sky Sports More

    • 175 Shares189 Views

      in Soccer

      Man City almost bought Ezquiel Lavezzi instead of Sergio Aguero, reveals ex-director of football

      by

      HOW different could the last ten years have been if Manchester City had signed Ezequiel Lavezzi instead?In 2011, the Etihad club were looking at Napoli’s enigmatic forward as they feared another Argentine striker was off limits.
      Brian Marwood, who was in charge of Manchester City’s transfer business in 2011, has revealed the club almost went for Ezequiel Lavezzi instead of Sergio AgueroCredit: PA
      The 32-year-old was signed in the end, later becoming City’s record goalscorerCredit: PA
      But chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak got the call from Atletico Madrid that City had waited more than two years for.
      He had been told Sergio Aguero might be available – for the right price.
      Brian Marwood, the director of football at the time, moved quickly to thrash out one of the most important deals in Prem history.
      He recalled: “We already had Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli so we were after someone who would fit into that pool of forwards for Roberto Mancini. We’d been watching Sergio for a couple of years.
      “He first came on to our radar when Mark Hughes was in charge but we didn’t think we could get him.
      “So we’d been looking at Lavezzi. He played with Edinson Cavani at Napoli and was a good player.
      “But Khaldoon had good relations with Atletico and once we were aware we could get Sergio, we had to move quickly.
      “We just thought, ‘Wow, this is a no brainer’.”
      BETTING SPECIAL – GET 25/1 ON SALAH TO SCORE AGAINST CRYSTAL PALACE
      WIN £50,000 with Dream Team EurosDream Team Euros is HERE!
      The best fantasy football game to accompany Euro 2020 has arrived.
      And you can play absolutely FREE for your chance to win the £50,000 jackpot.
      CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR FREE!
      Dream Team Euros

      £50,000 jackpot
      The best fantasy football game this summer
      Play in mini-leagues against your mates, colleagues, family members – and some hand-picked celebrities
      FREE to play

      City were considering a move for Napoli forward Ezequiel Lavezzi, 36, before he moved to Paris Saint-GermainCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      Aguero’s last-minute winner against QPR on the final day of the 2011-12 season secured City’s first Premier League titleCredit: AFP
      City had to fend off strong competition from some of Europe’s superpowers to get their man.
      Marwood added: “Real Madrid and Juventus were pushing hard, so we had to get it done quickly.
      “I have so much respect for people like Sergio because he could have gone to one of the biggest clubs in Europe.
      “Yet he bought into the vision we sold to him.
      And it was done quite quickly in the end – probably only two or three weeks after we started talking.”
      The rest, as they say, is history. And sadly for City fans, their all-time leading scorer will be consigned to the history books by the end of the month.
      But what an incredible decade-worth of memories he leaves – 258 goals in 388 games is an astonishing ratio.
      Aguero, 32, will pick up a fifth Premier League winners’ medal – to go with seven domestic cups – after making his final bow at the Etihad against Everton tomorrow.
      Aguero has helped City win plenty of trophies – including SIX League CupsCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Arsenal ace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has signed a new deal at the club
      Marwood said: “I smile when I look back now.
      “We paid something like £37-£38million for him but the general reaction was it was shameful and we were ruining the game by paying such a fee.
      “People were saying it was crazy money. We got caned for it.
      “What are those people saying now, ten years on?
      “And when you see the fees being paid these days, what would it cost to buy a forward like him at the age of 23?
      “He’s been one of the best strikers the Premier League has ever seen, the club’s leading scorer.

      “He scored the most famous goal in the history of the league. And he’s been worth every single penny.”
      City’s fans have got used to saying goodbye to their heroes in recent years – yet this one might be the hardest.
      He is the last player standing from the squad that won City’s first Prem title in such dramatic fashion in 2012.
      Marwood – now managing director for the City Football Group – added: “I saw him this week and despite everything he’s achieved he’s still the same guy we signed.
      “He’s still so humble and just a very good human being.
      “It’s easy to talk about players being world class – but that’s what Sergio is. He’s special.”
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Hilarious moment Man City sub Sergio Aguero tells official he’s holding up Gabriel Jesus’ number More