On the Guardian Football Weekly podcast, Brazilian based journalist Fernando Duarte has suggested that Robinho's struggles at City have dissuaded some potential young stars from trying their luck in the Premier League. City failed to get the best out of a number of Brazilians on a consistent basis (consistency being the key word here) - with only perhaps Glauber Berti as an exception - and this is a trend across the league (Juninho being a notable exception to the rule).
Fernando Duarte suggested that the potential stars of the future looked to Robinho, who still has world-star status in Brazil, and his suitability to the Premier League as an indicator of their potential success in England, with the light-weighted flair players discouraged as a result.
The English league, as has been proved time and time again, has physical demands that do not necessarily sit well with the Brazilian philosophy of football which favours style and design to graft and commitment.
I would love to see Robinho return to City better-adjusted for his break, but his natural talent is compromised by a league that doesn't suit players with the Brazilian philosophy as described above. Perhaps the best chance is to get players young - Neymar would probably still have time to adapt to the game, for example - but English clubs and Brazilian players alike will always think twice about the compatibility here - with Spain and Italy far better suited.
The Daily Mail Online ran a similar story today saying that Robinho has discouraged Neymar from the Premier League. The story seemed to be sourceless, but you can understand the theory behind it.
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