Even for someone as wealthy as Sheik Mansour, the sight of Emmanuel Adebayor charging around in a Tottenham shirt on Sunday must have been galling. The frequency with which Emirates Marketing Project’s forwards struck against a woeful Spurs defence would have softened any sense of frustration. But the mere fact that he is also paying the guy playing up front for the opposition cannot sit terribly easily with City’s owner.
Adebayor represents an expensive mistake and continues to cost City a fortune every week, some three years after he last kicked a ball for them. It has been reported that City are still paying £95,000 a week of the £170,000 Adebayor stood to earn if he simply sat on his backside in the reserves, with Tottenham making up the difference after paying a purchase price of only £5million. But trusted sources close to the Manchester club claim the figure is closer to £40,000 a week. Either way, how can it be that the striker jostling with your defenders is on the same wage bill?
First things first. It would be a breach of Premier League rules for two clubs to be paying the wages of one player in such a situation and the Premier League examined the financial details of the deal before allowing it to go through. So what we actually have here is a player who received a pay-off to leave City, then agreed to receive that money in instalments over the two years that remained of his original contract. When Adebayor’s move to White Hart Lane was made permanent in August 2012, Sportsmail understands Tottenham agreed to pay him £101,000 a week. Not wishing to take such a big pay cut, Adebayor’s advisers then negotiated a pay-off with City. It is understood that is in the region of £4m paid in instalments over the two years — or approximately £40,000 a week.
As well as being something of a legend in his native Togo — there is a foundation in his name — Adebayor is described as an astute business man. At one stage, it has been suggested, he had a business that provided the guards for Togo’s prisons. The £20m drop in transfer fees aside, City would no doubt point to what they would also consider good business when Adebayor’s move to Tottenham became permanent; a saving of £10million in wages had Adebayor remained part of their squad. That, of course, is the positive spin on what remains another tale of excess in football.
Adebayor is a talented footballer and when he moved to Spurs on loan in the summer of 2011 he did well for manager Harry Redknapp, scoring 18 goals in 37 appearances. During that season-long loan, City paid the lion’s share of his salary. His first permanent season at Tottenham was not nearly as successful, bringing eight goals in 33 appearances. Then the sudden death of Adebayor’s brother last summer meant he missed most of pre-season. The 29-year-old is now said to be looking sharp again in training.
In the background, of course, is talk of Spurs chairman Daniel Levy moving Adebayor on in January. Prepare for one of the most complicated transfer negotiations in football history.
