Many sources recently have claimed that both Manchester United and Manchester City have been sniffing around our wonder kid Patrick Roberts. Our youth academy has started to yield results from the considerable investment put in with the likes of Woodrow and Bettinelli, but Roberts is absolutely our most talked about prospect. The tricky winger has been on the England Youth scene for a while now but he hasn’t yet had a decent chance on the Fulham first team. Often the Fulham fans would complain about this but to be honest I can understand Kit Symons’ logic. At just 18 Roberts isn’t fully grown and still has a lot of maturing to do. Yes, he is exciting to watch and probably could have given the fans something to cheer about, but I think that last season was too early for him to be unleashed on to the Championship stage.
However, this season coming he needs to be given his chance. If we hold on to him in the summer then he needs to be a regular fixture in the side and then we, and the rest of the world, can see what he can really do. For his own development I think going to the likes of City, who mainly want him right now to boost their amount of home grown players, would be detrimental. Despite all the talk about him he isn’t proven yet and will need his chance to do this while avoiding having the pressure of being at a top 4 Premier League club. That sort of environment can destroy any player, never mind one so young. It has been reported that City have already had a £10million offer rejected by Fulham which is encouraging, as sometimes Fulham have let players go too easily. If I could give advice to Roberts right now I would say to be flattered by the interest but to continue his football education at Fulham and to not rush into signing with a big name where sometimes players get lost. Fulham should let him play this year and, if he continues to show a massive amount of potential, the big clubs will keep on looking at him. They aren’t going to lose interest and next year, or a few years down the line, he will get to make his move.
For now, let’s hope Roberts is still in a Fulham shirt come the start of the season and that he gets the chance to brighten up our performances come August.
#COYW
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City are after him because he is a good player, not because he’s English. They have many home grown players already in their ranks. City’s new academy is arguably the best in the world. Saying that it would be detrimental for him to move North just isn’t true.
It has nothing to do with him being home grown players under 21 do not count as aprt of the squad. City want him because he is young and a good player. With one of the best training facilities in the world they are looking to develop players who they hope will be good enough in the future for the first team and if not that they can develop and sell to a club commensurate with their talent
Yeah daft comment to be fair your talking like he would be considered for first team duties when he will go into the elite team without any doubts, wonder kid to not so sure Fofana who you loaned from our detrimental environment was better than him at his age and is better than him now, 10 mill rejected for a young kid from a club who could disappear if they have a bad season next year not to mention his contract is nearly up I don’t think so, stay away from the whisky and the sun newspaper pal, if their good enough at city they will make it stop being jealous your owner spent enough at one point just on a lot of rubbish, for the record I like Fulham just not stupid writers.
It would be better for him to get first team opportunities at fulham than to go to city and become a very small fish in a big pond. He won’t be anywhere near the first team at city so you would be getting him to have some homegrown talent and with no intention to use him yet. He would get a better education playing first team football a division down than playing youth football.
Yes, they are after him as he is a good player, but he wouldn’t be anywhere near the first team at city and would only be used in youth football. The facilities at Fulham are excellent for youngsters so that’s not the issue. Thee issue is that he will get a better football education at Fulham on the first team for now than going to city and staying on the youth teams
It’s a new academy so you can’t yet argue it’s one of the best in the world. City buy most of their players in. I can’t think of many players you have who you developed yourselves so that argument isn’t valid in my eyes. It would be detrimental because he would get a much better football education playing first team football in the championship before making the step up to the premier league in the near future with someone who plans on using him.
Lydia the facilities at the CFA are world class indeed they are very
probably the very best in the world, that is not to belittle Fulhams
facilities, but have a look at the CFA it is absolutely amazing. No-one
is saying that they are producing world class players now but believe
me they will. The reason they will is that City are looking for top
class talents to develop and with world class facilities there are no
reasons why those players cannot be the very best they can be
No-one
is saying he will be anywhere near the first team at the moment but
City are looking to develop players at a pace that is right for the
individual player see Denayer at Celtic, Lopes at Lille. Others are
being sent to other teams in the CFG group see Angelino to New York City
and others such as Evans have been sent to lower league sides in the
UK. City have a playing style that they want all age groups to mirror
so players as they progress they are comfortable with the playing style
so the earlier they can integrate players the easier they will find the
transition
I would also suggest that an 18 year old might develop
better and will certainly have more in common with a group of lads his
own age especially when they are all as good as him rather than playing
with and against men in the 20’s, 30,s and even 40’s.
Well surely city will know what’s best for him if there’s an opportunity for loan that suits then they would loan him maybe to Fulham but when talking about detriment then leaving him at Fulham an under performing club languishing in the championship could certainly be detrimental to a young man’s development don’t you agree.