Tony Adams once revealed the ‘ridiculous’ wage Portsmouth offered Yaya Toure
Tony Adams’ time at Portsmouth is not looked back upon fondly.
While the former Arsenal captain was a success under Harry Redknapp as assistant manager, his reputation soon deteriorated.
Upon Redknapp’s departure to Tottenham, Adams became the full-time manager at Portsmouth.
This turned out to be a disaster, with Adams only picking out four wins before he was sacked in February 2009, with Paul Hart eventually leading Portsmouth to survival despite his awful record.
However, it could have been vastly different for the 58-year-old, with the manager indicating that Pompey could have signed Yaya Toure.
Tony Adams: Portsmouth spoke to Yaya Toure’s agents over a move
Toure was no doubt one of the best players to grace the Premier League.
The midfielder moved to Manchester City in 2010 and won three league titles during his eight-year stay.
However, his time in the Premier League could have been vastly different, with Portsmouth once pursuing the midfielder according to Adams.
The former manager told The News on 12 May 2020, that Toure was once a target for the South Coast club, with Pompey offering the former Barcelona star a big wage package to join.
- Toure was once a Portsmouth target under Adams
- The midfielder was at Barcelona at the time but the move was never completed
- Toure eventually moved to the Premier League in 2010
“Toure was going to be on £77,000 a week or something ridiculous,” said Adams.
“When I’d been in the job three or four weeks, Peter came in with a few targets, a few agents he was talking to, and a few players flagged up as potential signings. Among them was Toure.
“I didn’t for one minute believe he would sign, but it’s a fact that he was on that list. Peter told me he’d spoken to the agent and was lining up the deal.
“It didn’t materialise and a couple of weeks later the owner pulled the plug on finances and it got ripped up and we started again.”
This is not the first time Pompey have been interested in a former Man City star, with Portsmouth reportedly wanting Sergio Aguero the following season before his move to the top-flight.
Read more: Southampton forward and Matt Doherty – Three players Portsmouth could sign for free in 2026
Tony Adams remains one of the worst managers in Portsmouth history
While Adams no doubt had a lot to deal with at Portsmouth, the 58-year-old did not get the best out of the situation.
To this day, the manager has the worst win percentage in Pompey’s history, at just 18.18 per cent.
In comparison, John Mousinho has a 44.19 win percentage, one of the best on the list.
This is evidence of how much the South Coast club has grown over the past decade, and while they haven’t returned to the Premier League yet, promotion is not impossible for Portsmouth.
Hopefully, Portsmouth can now keep hold of Mousinho and ensure they never have a repeat of Adams’ awful stint again.
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