Yaya Toure might be a legend for everything he has managed to achieve on the pitch, however it seems there were concerns about whether he could keep his attitude in check whilst in the dressing room.
Reports have recently circulated in which it has been claimed by Stade Brestois’ sporting director that they turned down the opportunity to bring him to the club.
Speaking to SportMania, Gregory Lorenzi has revealed that the Ivorian legend had approached the club about playing for them but that they had rejected the proposal over fears of how things might be in the dressing room.
“Yaya Toure was not necessarily what we were looking for,” Lorenzi told SportMania.
“I spoke with people who saw this idea as interesting because it could make people talk about Brest. But I was wondering, facing my coach, if a player like that could be easy to handle in the dressing room.
“With regard to the other [squad] players, it could have been complicated so we preferred not to follow up.”
Lorenzi had a point in regards to the possibility of bringing the club some attention, which could have been a huge bonus for them, although he would have also been right in the idea that the addition of Toure may have brought it in a fairly negative way.
He had been vocal in the past in his accusations of former manager Pep Guardiola being racist towards African players, whilst there was the whole story about how he was unhappy that Manchester City had forgotten to get him a birthday cake for his 31st birthday back in 2014, which led him threatening to leave the Etihad Stadium outfit.
Toure has been without a club since leaving China Super League outfit Qingdao Huanghai in January, despite being linked with a host of sides from across Europe, Asia and the Americas.
Indeed, although there does not appear to have been a shortage of interest in the player’s services, it would appear that he does not have many suitors that the Ivorian would perhaps enjoy playing for – especially if he is approaching other clubs about a potential move.
The former Manchester City and Barcelona legend has been able to lay claim to just about every accolade there is at club level, as he has managed to amass 590 appearances for various clubs, scoring 98 goals and providing his team-mates with a further 71 assists (per TransferMarkt).
