A Mixed Reaction on Robinho's Move to City

Miguel Torres

The 22-year-old defender, Miguel Torres has revealed, he is still a fan of the Brazilian's talent but was not impressed with his actions since the end of last season and thinks that he was badly advised. He would never let an agent make him behave like Robinho did during the summer in order to force a move out of Real Madrid.

"I would never accept something like that. My dad and my uncle take care of my affairs -the latter is a lawyer-. That says it all," he told AS. "I do not like commissions and the club knows my family will never treat this as business. I play for Real Madrid; what more could I ask for? Robinho is a great player, but we all have to row in the same direction."


Micah Richards

Manchester City defender Micah Richards believes he is very much excited and cant wait any longer to play alongside the Brazilian in the Champions League.

Richards said: "To be honest, I am still trying to get my head around what's happened in the last few days - City have gone from a club that was supposed to be in crisis to apparently being one of the richest in the world.

"Like everyone else, I was glued to the TV last Monday listening to all these bids we were making for world-class players. In the end I fell asleep and just after midnight my best mate rang me and said, 'We've signed Robinho.' I thought I was still dreaming and said, 'Yeah, whatever.' But then I turned the TV back on and there it was: 'Robinho signs for Man City'."I mean, he's the kind of player you would usually only pick for City if you were playing a computer game."


Steve McManaman

"I think Robinho is a wonderful player," McManaman said. "He will give City something different. He can go past players, which the fans adore. And he will do more stepovers than Cristiano Ronaldo! But it's important that people don't expect miracles. When Chelsea tried to sign Robinho, they saw him as the final piece in their jigsaw, whereas he will be the star at City."

McManaman believes that, once Robinho has adjusted to life in England, he will find the Premier League to his liking. He said: "I hope he won't find the weather too hard to adjust to! It is a different football culture in Spain. Over there, you always play at 8pm or 9pm, and you just lie in bed all day waiting for the game. So there will be changes to get used to, but I wouldn't have thought that would bother him."

McManaman can sympathise with Robinho's desire to leave Madrid, having made his after falling out of favour at the Bernabeu.

The former Liverpool winger said: "At Real, the president and the directors run the club, rather than the manager. They are the ones who pick the players and get rid of them. I felt it was time for me to go."


Luiz Felipe Scolari

"I have many great players and I am happy with my team. I am receiving new players from injuries as Drogba will be back soon. Mikel recovers well. Ballack and Essien played with injuries but both are getting better... They are an example of the fantastic characters I have in my squad," the charasmatic head coach told the club's official website.

Regarding the loss of Robinho to new fiscal rivals Manchester City, he said: "I don't think the people around Robinho were serious about him coming to Chelsea... They were more interested in the best business deal. But what I've said before about Robinho I say again now: He's a very good player. I only wish him the best."

"I have seen the newspapers and that they say I am unhappy or angry with the club. These statements are not true at all," he explained. "I have not said this and I do not think this. I am very happy with this situation."

"I talk to only a few people about my team, all inside the club. Other people have been quoted in newspapers saying they know what I think or feel, but they do not know. Only my close team knows," the 59-year old added.

"I have a press office at Chelsea and I hold a press conference every week. I do interviews for Chelsea TV and say things for the Chelsea website and my own website. If it does not come from one of these places, it will not be true, and will not be what I think."