Petrov likely to remain at City – agent
Speaking to Sport, Martin Petrov’s agent played down talk of the Bulgarian leaving City during this transfer window.
When asked if he thought Petrov would be leaving, Wolfgang Voege said:
“No, I think he will stay will Manchester City. We have had a few calls from German clubs regarding him, but nothing concrete.
“We will see maybe in the January [transfer window] how he is going. But, as you know the next ten days in football are interesting. However, I think he will stay with City.”
He also denied Harry Redknapp had been in touch when asked. It appears City weren’t anticipating Petrov’s comments and presumably Hughes wasn’t impressed, especially as we’ve nursed him back to fitness following his injury with the Bulgarian national team.
This sounds like the agent backtracking on behalf on his client, though naturally not wishing to rule out the idea of a transfer at some point.
With the number of new forwards at City, it is far from clear how things will pan out in the coming months and it wouldn’t make sense for Hughes to start letting go of players who could well be required. Petrov certainly comes into this category
As arguably our most dangerous crosser I’m sure Hughes has considered the idea of him as a supply line for Santa Cruz and Adebayor. He’s also versatile enough to switch flanks during a game, as is Robinho who can also play as a second striker. Therefore the presence of the Brazilian doesn’t preclude Petrov from first team action.
There’s a second reason why it could make sense for Petrov and his agent to wait till January. Given he missed virtually the whole of last season with injury, potential buyers might like to see him play a few games before committing themselves to paying a large wage for a thirty year old with a history of knee problems.