West Ham and Inter Milan look like most likely Yaya Toure destinations
Yaya Toure’s departure from Manchester City could spark a bidding war between unlikely rivals West Ham and Inter Milan
Yaya Toure’s agent would like you to believe that there will be an intense bidding war for his client upon his exit from Manchester City this summer. The truth is, that the star midfielder is too old and carries too much baggage for most of the world’s top clubs to take a keen interest. It’s likely going to end up as a battle between unlikely rivals West Ham and Inter Milan for the signature of the talented, but enigmatic superstar.
The Independent reported the comments from Toure’s agent, Dimitri Seluk, that his client will “definitely leave” City this summer. Toure’s camp feels aggrieved at the lack of a contract extension offer from the club, and is instead electing to leave the Premier League giants in hopes of finding greener pastures.
Toure and Seluk are likely to find that the market for the talented midfielder’s services is softer than they believe it should be. At 32 years of age, many clubs will believe that Toure’s best football is at least a couple of seasons behind him. He hasn’t been terribly consistent for City this season even though his Whoscored.com player rating of 7.31 is sixth on the squad. In short, he’s still a really good player, but there’s not much belief out there that his skills are going to hold up well over time.
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As a result, look for Premier League heavyweights like Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea to pass on pursuing Toure. In the absence of interest from England’s financially elite clubs, a curious group of Toure suitors is likely to emerge.
Some might believe it’s time for Toure to fully sell out and go to MLS or the Chinese Super League, but I still believe he has enough ability in the tank to put off that sort of move for another couple of years. My guess is that Toure will want to stay in one of Europe’s top leagues, even if it isn’t at one of the truly elite clubs.
That’s why the most likely suitors for his services are West Ham and Inter Milan. This certainly isn’t a pair who you generally see fighting it out over normal transfer targets, but then again Yaya Toure is anything but a normal player. He’s a different sort of bird and we shouldn’t be surprised that his transfer saga is going to be a different sort of tale.
For West Ham, bringing Toure into the fold would be a huge public relations boost for the club. As they move into Olympic Stadium they will be desperate for some additional star power in the squad, and not many players burn brighter than Toure’s reputation.
On the pitch, he also is an obvious replacement for the disappointing Alex Song. He could provide serious protection for the Hammers’ attacking midfield talent and would be given the opportunity to really pick his spots moving forward. It’s a perfect system and roster construction for Toure to thrive in at this point in his career.
Inter Milan’s link to Toure comes down entirely to their boss, Roberto Mancini. The two worked together excellently at Manchester City and most believe that both would be keen to re-unite in Serie A. Italy’s top-flight would also suit Toure by slowing down the required pace of play. As his legs start to go, it’s going to become more and more difficult for him to deal with the athleticism of the Premier League. A move to Serie A, might prolong his career another season or two.
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Yaya Toure will expect to be courted by every club in the world this summer, but he’s set for a rude reality check. Instead of a bidding war between Manchester United and Barcelona, he’s likely to see one develop between West Ham and Inter Milan.