Yaya Toure's agent: Guardiola called City a 's--- team'
Yaya Toure's agent, Dimitri Seluk, is clearly revelling his public spat with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, claiming the Spaniard called his current employer a "s--- team" in 2010.
The pair's well-publicised argument was sparked when Guardiola demanded an apology for Seluk's criticism when his client was excluded from City's Champions League squad, otherwise Toure would remain out of his plans at the Etihad Stadium.
But Seluk bit back, saying he was at liberty in saying what he likes about the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich handler, and suggesting Guardiola should instead apologise to his City predecessor Manuel Pellegrini.
Now, clearly undeterred by the prospect of his words being detrimental to Toure's future plans, Seluk has made a scathing accusation of how Guardiola regarded City when the midfielder left his Barcelona side for northwest England in 2010.
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"When Toure left Barca, Guardiola told him he was going to a s--- team," Seluk said, according to ESPN FC. "And now Guardiola has come to that s--- team.
"That is the situation And it is because Guardiola likes money. He likes money more than football. That is the situation."
Tempted by the presence of sporting director Txiki Begiristain, under whom he worked at the Camp Nou, Guardiola took the reigns in the summer following a protracted link with City. It came after three years Bayern Munich's helm, where he won three straight league titles, two DFB-Pokal crowns, and the UEFA Super Cup, but couldn't plunder another Champions League medal.
"Guardiola talks a lot about how this or that agent is good. But the reality is that Guardiola protects the players of the agents he gets along with," Seluk continued.
"If the agent has a good relationship with the coach, the player is good. If he doesn't, the player is bad.
"(Guardiola) is coming to a place where Toure already is. Toure did not go to a team where Guardiola was."
City's new gaffer has clearly rubbed Seluk the wrong way, as the Ukrainian representative is clearly not fond of Guardiola's highly regarded coaching methods.
"It is true that Guardiola won many things at Barca. But Barca are Barca. Luis Enrique came to Barca and they have won just as many things that they did when Guardiola was there," he said.
"That means that Barca did not win because of Guardiola but rather because of the structure they have in place."
At City, a side not boasting much success in the European game by comparison to Barca and Bayern, Guardiola has overseen eight consecutive victories to start his tenure, and travels to Swansea City for a League Cup third round match Wednesday.