ABU DHABI // Manchester City's newest recruit, Argentine striker Carlos Tevez, has revealed he turned down a clutch of top English and European clubs to sign for City.
Confirming Liverpool and Chelsea also enquired about securing his services, Tevez - speaking at press conference in Abu Dhabi yesterday where Manchester City were staying before travelling on to South Africa for a pre-season tour - also revealed Spanish giants Real Madrid contacted his representatives proposing a switch to the Spanish capital.
"Real made an offer but there was no agreement," said Tevez. "There were talks about deals and agreements but in the end it was only City."
No player's arrival has underlined Manchester City's emergence as a genuine Premier League force more than that of the diminutive forward.
The enigmatic workhorse, idolised at former clubs Boca Juniors and West Ham, left City's cross-town rivals earlier this summer when Manchester United failed to finalise a long-term contract for a player their fans adored.
As the Red Devils dithering as they chased a third title in a row, United fans held up banners at games saying: "Sign him up Fergie."
Too late, Ferguson tried, but feeling unwanted by the months of smokescreens and delays which had emanated from the corridors Old Trafford, Tevez let his two-year deal run down and headed for the exit door.
As he divulged yesterday, there were no shortage of clubs queuing for his signature.
However, City's relentless pursuit persuaded Tevez of his next stop.
Hughes, fresh from missing out on Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o, had beaten three Champions League clubs to his £25 million (Dh150.5m) man.
"I'm sad to leave United, but I'm excited to join City. I'm thinking about the future and I'll grow with this club," Tevez said, adding: "They showed lots of interest in me and are intent on growing and signing big players."
Tevez will form a new-look City attack this season, lining up alongside £18m Roque Santa Cruz and Sheikh Mansour's original glamour signing, the £32m Brazilan, Robinho.
With the club also hoping to complete negotiations for the £25m transfer of Arsenal's Togolese striker Emmanual Adebayor, the front four City hope will push them into Champions League contention this year will have cost a combined £100m.
City also announced that they will play a friendly against the UAE national team at Zayed Sports City Stadium on Nov 12.
emegson@thenational.ae
Fanney Khan
Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora
Director: Atul Manjrekar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand
Rating: 2/5
TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
Record: 59-6-2 (38 KOs)
Age: 38
Weight: 146lbs
Height: 166cm
Reach: 170cm
Jeff Horn
Record: 16-0-1 (11 KOs)
Age: 29
Weight: 146.2lbs
Height: 175cm
Reach: 173cm
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Results
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m; Winner: AF Al Baher, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Talento Puma, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,950m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Stakes Listed (TB) Dh500,000 1,950m; Winner: Mark Of Approval, Patrick Cosgrave, Mahmood Hussain.
4pm: Conditions (TB) Dh125,000 1,400m; Winner: Dead-heat Raakez, Jim Crowley, Nicholas Bachalard/Attribution, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Jebel Ali Sprint (TB) Dh500,000 1,000m; Winner: AlKaraama, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m; Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
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Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
