Jack Rodwell

Gabe

Jack of all trades fits Fergie bill
21 June 2009
Steve Bates

Manchester United are targeting Everton and England Under-21 star Jack Rodwell.

United scouts have kept a close eye on Rodwell, and boss Sir Alex Ferguson has received glowing reports about the versatile 18-year old, who is on duty with Stuart Pearce's squad at the European U21 Championship in Sweden.

With FIFA keen to pursue the '6+5 rule' - at the start of each league match, clubs must field at least six players eligible to represent the national team of the country in which the league is based - Fergie wants to maintain a core of English players at Old Trafford.

Sensing Rodwell's huge potential, Everton moved quickly to upgrade his contract and the teenager recently signed a five-year deal.

That will not deter Ferguson - just as it didn't put him off clinching a £27million deal to capture Wayne Rooney from Goodison five years ago.

And with cash-strapped Everton still vulnerable to attractive offers for their stars, the Southport-born youngster has emerged as a serious United target.

But Goodison boss David Moyes is determined to keep Rodwell, whose ability to play an attacking or defensive midfield role, in addition to operating as an emergency centre-back, puts his value to Everton at £9m.

Rodwell made his debut for Everton's reserve team at the age of 15 and on his senior debut became the youngest player to represent the club in Europe when he came on as a substitute against AZ Alkmaar at 16 years and 284 days.

He has continued to make rapid progress and in March was called up to the England U21 squad.

http://www.people.co.uk/sport/footba...name_page.html

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

Good if true. He is a real talent.

redspoony

Would be a good signing for us. Never looks overawed and will be a quality player.

Drifter

Saf as a good relationship with Moyes.But i can see Moyes being very reluctant to let him go.This kind of player is rare.

Maciek

Would be a good signing.

kanchelskis14

Best English talent to emerge last season. Will be a class player.

Brwned

Best English talent around that's not in the first team, probably.

Anduin

No way he would move that cheap. I definitely rate him very highly and if he's available for the right money, I wouldn't mind a bid. But at this point it sounds like bollocks... what would we need a central midfielder (or centre-back) for, with Carrick, Fletcher, Anderson, Scholes, Giggs, Gibson, Rodrigo and even the reserve talents Petrucci and Matt James around?

Gabe

Arsenal were rumoured to be preparing a 12 mil bid in January.

He may be one of those select English talents that are too good to miss.

Also when such players are identified, they may be signed ahead of schedule due to growing interest from rivals, as was the case with Ronaldo and Anderson.

Amir

Very unlikely now. In 12 months, when we'll know more about the future of Giggs, Scholes and Hargreaves, who knows.

Scholesy

I reckon he could cost up to £20m. Id still pay it.

Gabe

Agree, no question.

Paz

brilliant, as has been agreed: Rodwell

Drifter

Moyes sees role for Rodwell


Everton boss David Moyes has confirmed he intends to hand teenager Jack Rodwell a more prominent role in his side next season.

England Under 21 international Rodwell is highly rated on Merseyside after making his Toffees debut in 2007 at just 16 years of age.

Moyes believes that the midfielder has a bright future ahead of him and plans to further utilise his qualities, after handing him nine Premier League starts last term.

The Scot said in the Daily Star: "We're going to keep trying to bring him on and there have been some periods of the season where he's been very good and some periods where you can see he's still a boy.

"He has only just turned 18. It's going to take experience and time but he has undoubtedly got a good future ahead of him. You can see his ability and we are keen to push him on.

"Next year instead of playing five, six or eight games it might be up to 18 or 20 games depending on how his improvement is. He has got great pace and athleticism."

Reports in Sunday's press have linked Rodwell, who signed a new five-year deal at Everton earlier this year, with a move to Manchester United.



http://www.skysports.com/story/0,195...394029,00.html

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

This. Ala Rooney IMO this kid would be worth a high figure.

Anderson Searl

I agree

rednev

There's not a chance in hell we'd pay that for an unproven 18 year old. There have been far too many young English players who have been talked up like this Rodwell lad is, only to amount to nothing all that special.

Would probably be worth snapping him up for £5-10 million, though.

Rooney was one of the world's most exciting prospects when we signed him, and he was already an established England first-teamer.

If Rodwell displays that he has what it takes to make it at United over a period of about two years, only then would the club consider paying that sort of amount.

SharkyMcShark

I've heard that he rods well.

VoetbalWizard

IMO rodwell has future united player written all over him. mind you, i thought that about aaron ramsey as well.

Starkie_1

I'd pay anything up to £30million for Rodwell. Lucky enough to see him a lot for Everton youth and reserves for a few years with my mate, he really is the real deal. Best English youngster around tbh.

rednev

£30 million??

You do realise that the stats suggest that the chances of him making it at United level are fairly slim?

Exactly. With the exception of very special players like Ronaldo and Messi, it's impossibly to gauge just how good they are going to be when they're only 18 - not least a defensive player. The club can't go around throwing £20 million at every player who they think might make it.

Mitch Conor

With Vidic and Rio unlikely to get broken up, and Evans being a very good back up (Brown in the mix too and very good at CB for us) I don't know if a big money move for Rodwell would be right for either us or him this summer.

If we could sign him and loan him back to Everton for the season, it would be a good deal for us.

Starkie_1

Obviously a slight exaggeration, but with the way fee's are staggered and with all the add ons involved I dont think its OTT at all. Everton wouldnt sell for anything like the Rooney deal, Kenwright got lucky big time with us ending up paying all the clauses due to success that could easily not have came our way.

GlastonSpur

The 80m received for Ronaldo has it seems caused a total disconnect with reality.

He has started a grand total of 9 games for Everton, and I don't know how many of these were league games. You might want to see him command a regular starting spot in any Prem team - far less Everton - before bidding such absurd figures.

Everton would probably bite your hand off - plus your whole arm and body - at less than half that amount.

devilish

20m is just too much. 10 - 12 max.

Starkie_1

Like I said in the quote above, no transfer fee is entirely upfront. United payed little over £10 million upfront for Rooney, with the rest coming in add on and success clauses.

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

TBF this Rodwell boy is in the Rooney bracket. He'd make it anywhere unless injury stopped him.

Brwned

You can't say that based on two or three starts.

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

Obviously. I've watched him at least 15 times. You never learn...

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

Denis' cuff

don't want him - I've got a Jack Russell anyway

anything about now

So, this kid is going to be better than Valencia or what ? 20m, 30m...?

I've only watched Everton a handful of times, didn't really notice him apart from the cup game against Liverpool. Vaughn caught my eye a few times though.

Sarni

£5m doesn't buy you a footballer nowadays, anything below £10m is enough to bring a reject from some top European club or a solid hard worker without much potential unless you manage to find a proper bargain. To sign a promising youngster or a star for a figure close to that is hardly possible.

cesc's_mullet

Is there a single player you've not watched, or one you don't actually know about? I mean really you cannot justify paying 30 million for a teenager who's played all of a dozen first team games in his life, no matter what you think. Look at Richards for crying out loud.

And on a side note - shoving your high and mighty attitude may make people take the piss out of you less. Just a tip like.

Paz

no one is saying we should pay £30m, he's a bloody good player, and hopefully will be available for less before he bursts on the scene...

Brwned

So you've watched some Everton youth games?

Or just the England U17'S?

GlastonSpur

That doesn't change my view that "anything up to 30m" for Rodwell would be utterly ridiculous.

When United signed Rooney he had already made more than 3 times as many appearances for Everton than Rodwell has. Plus he had already played for the England senior team, aged 17, whilst Rodwell only gained his first U-21 cap a few weeks ago.

30m would be not far from equalling the total combined fee that Spurs paid for Modric (last summer) and Arsenal paid for Arshavin (in January).

I repeat, the 80m paid for Ronaldo seems to have destroyed all sense of proportion or transfer sense in some posters.

RedSky At Night

Completely agree. The voice of reason.

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

That should be obvious to you if you were not just a plain hypocrite. There are many I don't know and haven't seen. I next to never assess the merits and demerits of such players. For it's the dumbest of things to do.

All young players don't end up the same way. Besides, I never said any where he is worth 30 million. But I did say he is worth a high figure like 20M. Just look at how much we paid for an 18 year old Anderson. Who came to OT with out British player tax.

Rooney in contrast came with British player tax and cost us 30 million.

High and migthy my arse.

Brwned got the answer he deserved. I've told him time and again that I don't belive it sensible to discuss merits or demerits of players I've never seen on a decent basis and I've grown fucking tired of repeating myself to him.

Furthermore, I haven't seen you jump on Brnwed's back and claim he is acting like he knows "footballers every where" for the wide knowledge of global football he has. Which just goes to show your looking to stir up some stupid trouble to mess up this thread.

cesc's_mullet

A hypocrite, what the fuck are you on about? I was asking a simple question. And I'm not looking to stir up any trouble too you plonker. I asked a question, one that's crossed the minds of anyone who's ever read some of your posts.

You can't not see that it looks a bit strange at times when whenever anyone talks about some outlandish player, or some young guy noone else has seen, you seem to know all about them.