• Premier League

Mancini bullish amid reports of new City deal

ESPN staff
October 29, 2011
Roberto Mancini could see his yearly salary at Manchester City rise to £5.5 million © PA Photos
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Roberto Mancini has stated his belief that Manchester City's owners should be delighted with his work amid reports that the Italian is about to receive a bumper new contract.

Mancini has led City to Champions League football and FA Cup success during his time at the club, ending a 35-year trophy drought. Now he has City sitting five points clear at the top of the Premier League following their 6-1 humbling of neighbours United.

Reports in the Sun claim Mancini will be handed a new four-year deal, raising his yearly salary from £3.5 million to £5.5 million. In the Italian's eyes, Sheikh Mansour's Abu Dhabi United Group could never have expected for the club to improve so quickly.

"I think they should be very happy because in football it is very difficult to get to the top in a short time like us," Mancini said, having spoken to chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak earlier this week.

"But now it is important to stay there for a long time. After the FA Cup I thought this year we could do another step, fight with United and Chelsea for the top of the league. At the moment I think we started very well.''

There can arguably be no greater sign of Mancini's success than the current frustration of United's fans, whom the City boss revealed earlier this week often tell him to "f*** off". However, there remains the saga of Carlos Tevez, who has been forced to train with the club's youth team after a fallout with Mancini.

Tevez was City's star man last season, but after refusing to obey manager's orders he was recently found guilty of five breaches of his contract and fined four weeks' wages - later reduced to two. Mancini is still forbidden from discussing the Argentinean in press conferences, but he did say the sulky forward was "not important".

"I think we are in the best moment in our history and I think our focus is only on the games and training,'' said Mancini. "The other situations are not important.''

Of the fine, Mancini said: "This is not my problem. For me it is not important - two weeks, four weeks.''

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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