"I would love to renew my contract at City and remain here for a long time," declared the player ahead of the visit of Blackburn this weekend, the latest staging post along a trail that the Blues hope will end in a seventh place in the table and a Europa League spot next term.As pleasing as his recent upturn in form has been, I think the odds are against his wish being granted. I mean, there's no getting past the fact that he wouldn't even have played against HSV, WBA and Everton had Shaun Wright-Phillips not been injured. We know that Hughes tried to get rid of him in January and considered him a troublesome influence. With summer offering more time and money to change the squad as he sees fit, I always presumed he'd leave in the July/August window.
"I love England and I enjoy living in Manchester. I am very happy here. I'd like to say thank you to all the supporters for making me so welcome since my arrival.
"I want to repay them for all the warmth and love they have given me and the best way I can do - that is out on the pitch. I would love to commit myself to City for many years. They make me feel very happy and I hope I can do the same for them.
"This is the end of my second season with City and if it were up to me I would be sat around a table discussing a contract extension right now."
The question, then, is whether Elano's recent performances have convinced Hughes not to sell him. And the answer is essnetially unknowable for us at this time. But if the Brazilians maintain this level of performance over the final four games of the season, it will be harder for Hughes to dispose of them.
5 comments:
elano is full form towers above most in the squad. We look a better side with him in it. He goal ratio is still pretty good considering the games he hasnt played in.
He gives ireland more freedom, robinho more freedom and is simply a cut above most.
to be honest on his day, he's top quality, we would be foolish to get rid of him.
Quite frankly after the way he's been treated, we don't deserve him. He's been dropped when playing at his best, to be replaced by such dazzling playmakers as Darius Vassell, played out of position, and fined for talking out of turn (while Stevie Ireland, Richard Dunne, Micah Richards and SWP have been doing it all season). And he still loves us! I know who I'd get rid of....
Elano deserves his place in the team now even when SWP is fit again. For us to genuinely push for a top 6 finish next year we need to quality players in each position and Elano has played well in a couple of positions for us. Hughes clearly had a personality clash with him (as he has with a fair few players) but hopefully they're past that now and Elano can be treated with more respect and a run in the team.
Elano IS a top player, but he is NOT the innocent victim.
I am continually astounded that City fans continue to back our Brazilians, regardless of performance and attitude, yet are so quick to lacerate Mark Hughes. The simple facts are that Elano & Robinho have contributed to an odious dressing-room atmosphere, undermined Sparky & continually underperformed away from Eastlands all season.
There is a disturbing pattern emerging on forums: that for most of the season Robinho and Elano have been desperate to play well, but Sparky has prevented them from doing so. Finally, however, in the last few matches Hughes has relented and accepted their collective brilliance.
Garbage.
I still have doubts about Hughes, but I believe in judging him fairly: assigning blame where necessary, but also giving credit where it is due. Contrastingly, I find the mentality of most City fans, whose blatent hypocrisy I find nausciating, impossible to explain beyond a residual animosity towards an ex-Utd player.
nb
Don't see where the hypocrisy, nauseating or otherwise, comes in.
As I've stated before I love Manchester City. I'll be City till I die. I didn't sign up for life to love Mark Hughes - or any other manager.
As for having residual animosity to an ex-Utd player, I never had a problem with Denis Law. Or Brian Kidd. Or Andy Cole. Unlike you my friend, I am totally objective. I judge on performance and results. And those are telling me that we have seriously under-performed this season, while having had to listen to excuse after lame excuse. Finally, after being forced into returning to the formation that we started the season with, the team are performing again. So now our manager wants the credit. Sorry, but he's dragging us backwards.
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