Tiago: Fighter like Keane
WHEN Tiago Mendes left Chelsea two years ago, Jose Mourinho called it a 'very big mistake'.
He joined Lyon and guided them to two French League titles before Juventus snapped him up for £9 million ($25m) last season.
Now the tough-tackling Portuguese is determined to leave the Turin giants after falling out of favour with coach Claudio Ranieri.
He said: 'I can't stay here any longer. The best thing for me would be to leave.'
These 15 words immediately caught the attention of Tottenham Hotspur, who intend to get him to White Hart Lane by this week - right under the noses of Newcastle, Portsmouth and Real Madrid.
New Spurs coach Juande Ramos is crying out for a hard-tackling, ball-winning central midfielder and Tiago perfectly fits the bill, reported The Mirror Online.
The lack of midfield steel was enough to have Ramos reminiscing about Sunderland manager Roy Keane, his managerial opponent over the weekend. (Spurs won the match 2-0).
Ramos said: 'Players like Roy are essential in any team.
'It is just very difficult to find these players, who have such a character and a special personality. I loved him as a player when he was at Manchester United.
'Roy had such strong personality and energy which he brought to the group and sadly those players are disappearing little by little.
'You can never say there won't be a player like him again, but it's just very difficult to find one with such a strong character and personality.
'I don't know why it's the case that there are no longer players like him, it's something a footballer carries inside himself.
'It's not something you can teach, it's something you have naturally.
'I want Tiago because he's like Roy Keane,
a fighter from start to finish.'
Tiago, 26, is keen on a return to the English Premiership after recently snubbing a loan move to Atletico Madrid, reported The Daily Mail Online.
Flashback to 2004: Tiago became Mourinho's sixth signing for the Blues when he moved from Benfica for £8m.
He played regularly in the Chelsea side that stormed the club's first championship in 50 years in 2004-05, winning the Carling Cup as well along the way for good measure.
But Michael Essien's arrival ended his Stamford Bridge career and he moved to Lyon for £6.5 m in August 2005.
Mourinho later admitted letting Tiago leave was a 'very big mistake'.
CRITICS
Tiago said his two years at Lyon brought the best out of him because he wanted to prove the critics wrong.
'They used to call me the washing machine,' he revealed recently, 'because I can manage tricky balls, cleaning them and serving them to my team-mates.'
His form later propelled him to the Portuguese national team at the World Cup.
Tiago's agent, Roberto Calenda, told The Guardian Online last week: 'Tiago is finding some difficulties in acclimatising himself, but it's without any doubt that he is an important player, for whom Juventus spent a lot of money.'
Tiago has made just nine appearances for the Bianconeri this season, with only three of these being starts.
Calenda added: 'We need time for him to prove his worth...and he's not getting the necessary chances at Juventus.'
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