Soccer Mailbag: Carlos Tevez’s Next Stop, Live LFC Games on NESN and Thierry Henry Versus Paul Scholes

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Jan 15, 2012

Soccer Mailbag: Carlos Tevez's Next Stop, Live LFC Games on NESN and Thierry Henry Versus Paul ScholesJanuary can be a funny month in the soccer calendar. It's when top teams show their teeth, while others start to retreat, reload and retool for the next season.

It's rare to see top players switch teams in the middle of the season, because they are often fully involved in their current teams' trophy chases. But it can still happen in extraordinary cases like that of Carlos Tevez. He was the subject of this week's first question, so let's get to it. 

Marcus, who do you think who will land Manchester City's Troubled Star Carlos Tevez
–Charles Frenz, New York

Hi Charles, thanks for the question. What's certain is that Tevez will leave City. It's uncertain if it will happen between now and Feb. 1.

The media reports Tevez's representatives are in talks with Inter and AC Milan. PSG is also interested. What these rumors overlook is the fact that Tevez has often spoken about wanting to be close to his family, who is in Argentina. His partner and two young daughters could not settle in England, and I have doubts about how much they will want to live in Milan or Paris. If he joins one of these clubs, it would be on a short-term basis, as his future lies under South American skies. 

I get the sense that Tevez wants to play in Argentina with Boca Juniors, but his boyhood club may not be able to afford his salary demands (even with the hometown discount he would be the highest earner at the club).

I'd bet on him returning to Brazilian giants Corinthians, where he starred from January 2005 to July 2006. The club's new domestic television deal pays it Â£40 million ($61.2 million) a year. It also has a  shirt sponsorship  with Brazilian drug maker Neo Química that pays £23 million ($35.2 million) annually.

Corinthians won't want to pay City's price for Tevez, which is believed to be in the region of Â£50 million ($76.5 million). Nobody wants to pay that much. I see his talks with the Milan clubs as a way to reset his market value — closer to Â£25 million. Corinthians will enter the bidding when City agrees to a more reasonable price. And it has the financial muscle to bring Tevez in for a the next few years. Thanks, Charles. 

Marcus, can we expect to see any LFC games on NESN that don't air on FSC/FS+ or ESPN? If NESN wants to draw some national viewers via DirecTV (sports pack subscribers) they need to show something more than what we already find on Fox or ESPN. Best Wishes.
–Daniel, Chicago

Hi Daniel, thanks for the question. I spoke about this one a few months ago in a past mailbag, but have received a number of questions about this topic recently.

Fox Soccer Channel (and Fox Soccer Plus) owns the rights to all live Premier League games broadcast in the United States. FSC chooses which games to show live and on delay. It also sublicense some live games to ESPN, which is why you see the Premier League games on that network.

NESN has an agreement with FSC to re-air FSC or FSPlus games at least one day later than the original broadcast. Again, NESN can only show games that FSC airs (not ESPN games), so that is why you do not see ESPN replays on NESN or NESN National.

If Liverpool plays on FSC or FSPlus, we will re-air the game in prime time at least a couple of times during the week. Thanks, Daniel.

Paul Scholes and Thierry Henry both returned to their old clubs. Who do you think will have a bigger impact?
–Christian, Cape Town, South Africa

Hello to you, Christian, and to all our readers in South Africa. The returns of two legends to their respective clubs are two mesmerizing storylines the Premier League has produced this season. Henry and Scholes came back for the love the game and for the love of their two clubs.

To answer your question, you have to look at what each club is chasing this season. Manchester United is looking to win the league, UEFA Europa League and the FA Cup. Scholes can play a vital role in the pursuit of all three, and will have time to do so. Since temporarily retiring last summer, Scholes has stayed involved in the clubs as its reserve team coach and by training (practicing) on a regular basis. 

Henry is only at the Emirates for another month or six weeks. During that time, he can help Arsenal close in on the fourth spot in the league standings. But he won't stick around to see it across the finish line. He can also help it advance to the last eight of the UEFA Champions League, which most supporters would see as an achievement. His impact will be greater behind the scenes, as most of his current teammates have never played with him before. He is a legend at the club and has the statue to prove it. 

Both can be great influences in the locker room by setting a positive tone with their day-to-day habits. But I would give Scholes the edge because he will influence events on the field on the day of reckoning in late May.

That's all for now. Thanks for all the questions and please keep them coming.

Have a question for Marcus Kwesi O'Mard? Send it to him via Twitter at @NESNsoccer or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

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