David Platt has resigned from Manchester City as assistant manager having declined the offer to continue, with the 46-year-old deciding that after the sacking of Roberto Mancini he would follow the Italian, who is a good friend, from the club.
A statement on City’s website said: “With regret Manchester City announce that David Platt has this afternoon left his role as assistant manager at the club. David was offered the opportunity to continue his work with us but has declined the invitation. He has decided to leave his role with his close friend Roberto Mancini. David has made a significant contribution to the club’s success since joining in 2010 and we wish him well with his career wherever that now takes him.”
Platt was Mancini’s confidante and during his time as assistant he helped City to last season’s title and the 2011 FA Cup.
Mancini has a clause in his €41 million, five-year contract that following his removal ensures he will not receive a mammoth pay-off from City akin to that which José Mourinho can expect if removed by Real Madrid as their coach.
While it is thought that Mourinho’s terms state he must be paid around €20m if Real sack him, Mancini’s deal, which he was only a year into, was structured carefully to ensure a balance between rewarding the Italian and ensuring the club’s interests were protected.
While Mancini’s basic salary was around £5.9m per annum, the deal included incentives and bonuses to take it up to €8.25m and the former manager may receive a payment worth at least 12 months of the full terms.
After Platt’s departure, a clear-out may now occur of Mancini’s other staff – Attilio Lombardo, Fausto Salsano, Ivan Carminati, Angelo Gregucci and Massimo Battara – plus a wider cull of those working at lower levels, including Jim Cassell and Paul Power, meaning City will still have to pay a considerable sum in compensation.
Maurizio De Giorgis, a close friend of Mancini, claimed that the Italian’s removal was unexpected. “It came as a surprise? Of course. Of course, it’s a surprise. What would you think if you were Roberto Mancini? Wouldn’t it be a surprise for you? Of course it’s a surprise. Yes. Sure,” he said.
Does Mancini feel he has been treated fairly? “I don’t know how he feels to be honest, I didn’t speak with him today. I don’t know how he feels,” said De Giorgis. “This is how the football world is. This is how it works. They won a Charity Shield [Community Shield] also. Three titles in three years, right? And you know what, if you look at an almanac you’ll see how many years it was that Manchester City wasn’t winning a title. But that’s how it is. It’s a surprise, yes, because nobody was expecting that. Were you expecting that? Were the fans expecting that? I don’t think so.”
It is understood Monaco, with whom Mancini discussed potentially taking over last season if he had been sacked then, may no longer retain an interest. Giorgis, who has previously advised Mancini, stated it was too early to say whether he would bounce straight back into management. “That I don’t know. Roberto loves football, loves coaching so I don’t know. It’s a little premature, it will be premature to say.”
