MARK HUGHES, the Manchester City manager, has said he will not be picking up the telephone to try to repair the damage to his relationship with David Moyes over the Joleon Lescott transfer saga. Hughes believes City have been unjustly criticised but he also made it clear he was prepared to fall out with opposition managers on the basis that to be successful you cannot always be popular.
“It doesn’t bother me at all,” Hughes said. “It comes with the territory. We have been criticised, at times correctly, at times unfairly. That won’t stop, but for us it’s just a case of getting on with it. We are comfortable about how we do business. We try to do things in the correct way and some of the reaction from some quarters has been quite predictable.”
Pressed further, Hughes continued: “We haven’t been surprised by some of the things we have heard. People are shouting from the rooftops about all the money we are spending and passing comment about all the things we are doing. A lot of people seem to have an interest in what we are doing and, at times, it is an unhealthy interest. We’re just getting on with the business at hand, which is to make the club stronger and to win football matches.”
Moyes has criticised Hughes for not contacting him directly about City’s desire to sign Lescott. The Everton manager has described City’s pursuit of the player as “disgusting” but Hughes was unapologetic as he prepared for today’s game at home to Wolves.
“Myself and David have been in each other’s company many times and I have enjoyed his company but I’m not someone who is on the phone to fellow managers every single day. I think he feels a little bit aggrieved but I have said time and time again that we are quite comfortable with how it has progressed to this point. At some point in time, a manager hands over the negotiations to the people who sign cheques and do contracts.”
City have failed with two bids of €17 million and €21 million for Lescott and the club had a board meeting yesterday to decide how much further they are willing to go. A third bid is expected and Hughes, encouraged by Moyes’s statement that “every player has a price”, spoke of a possible “thaw in Everton’s stance”, adding that there could be “a little bit of leeway now”.
Hughes did empathise with Moyes. “No manager likes to lose their best players, and that includes myself. Nobody is immune from it but situations develop when people take an interest in your players and you have to deal with it. It’s happened to me in the past and at the moment it is happening to Everton.”
Meanwhile, Hughes could be set to name Carlos Tevez in his side to face Wolves today. Argentina striker Tevez came on board in the summer after two seasons wearing the colours of Manchester United but has been hampered by a nagging heel injury.
However, he had a run-out in the victory against Barcelona in a friendly and with Robinho and Emmanuel Adebayor, suffering slight ankle and groin injuries respectively, could be handed his chance.
