Emmanuel Adebayor 'allowed to move on'
Manchester City have reportedly told striker Emmanuel Adebayor he will be allowed to leave if he can agree a deal with another club. According to the News of the World, the former Togo international’s agents have been touting him for a move to Serie A, with Juventus and AC Milan indentified as his most likely suitors.
However, the 26-year-old’s wages of £130,000 per week are likely to prove a big stumbling block to any permanent deal being struck with either of the clubs. A loan move appears the most likely option for the player to complete a switch to Italy.
New rules
Adebayor is said to be a victim of the new English Premier League rules which allow only 25 players to be named in each club’s senior squad. With manager Roberto Mancini having 38 men in his squad at City, Adebayor has reportedly been told he will likely be part of City’s 25-man squad for this season, but with the imminent arrival of Mario Balotelli from Inter Milan and Roque Santa Cruz, Felipe Caicedo, Jo, Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy already on the books, he may feel competition is too intense at his club.
The only cast-iron offer City have received so far for the player is from Marseille. According to manager Didier Deschamps, the French Ligue 1 champions cannot afford to make any permanent signings in the current financial climate, so making moves for players on temporary deals is the only option available to the club. However, Adebayor’s substantial earnings could thwart any deal as it will be very unlikely that Marseille could afford to cover a high enough proportion of the forward’s wages.
Adebayor started his career with FC Metz in France. He was spotted by scouts there while playing for the Under-15 team at Sporting Club de Lome in his hometown. He joined Metz in 1999 and featured for their Under-17 squad for two seasons before being recruited to the first team. In his first season with the senior side, he played in nine games and scored two goals. In his second senior season, Adebayor played 35 games and scored 17 times. His talents impressed the management at Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club and joined them in 2003.
In his first season with Monaco, he struck seven goals in 17 games and helped the club reach the UEFA Champions League final that season after scoring twice in 10 appearances in the competition. In total, he made 100 appearances for Monaco in two-and-a-half seasons and scored 20 goals. His displays impressed Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who signed the player for a reported £3 million in January 2006.
First game, first goal
Adebayor made his debut for the Gunners in February 2006 in a league game against Birmingham City. After just 21 minutes, he scored his first goal for his new club, helping Arsenal to a 2-0 win. Although he was unable to play in the Champions League final against Spanish giants Barcelona after featuring for Monaco in the competition earlier in the season, he finished his first season in London with four goals and four assists in 13 appearances. Before his move to City in 2009 for an estimated £25 million, he made 143 appearances for Arsenal and scored 62 goals with 21 assists.
Adebayor has only spent one season at City, and has scored 14 times in 31 appearances. He has also featured 38 times for Togo and has scored 14 goals. However, he retired from representing his country after the Togo team bus came under gunfire while it was taking the players to the African Cup of Nations in Angola in January this year.
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