I love you guys, anyone thinking we’re getting £1.2M for a 19 year old that’s played 14 games for us in the 3rd division & has 12 months remaining on their contract possesses a level of optimism I aspire to.
He has clearly been offered a longer term deal, clearly not signed it, and thus we’ve been put in a position where we need to trigger a one year option or lose the player. Triggering the option is the right call, but anyone seeing this as any more than another failing of our recruitment strategy has clearly had the rose tinted spectacles welded on.
I know I'm not the first to highlight this, but this is one of the most baffling things I've seen on here for a while. I would make the case that Small was the second best signing of last season after May even if we sold him tomorrow and got 200k for him. He came in at 19 and despite having barely played all season to that point, made the LWB spot his and made it so Jones didn't have to worry about it after that. That alone is very impressive for a 19 year old, and I think there's still more to come from him.
If we're going to complain about recruitment when it goes wrong (and it often has), then we should give credit where credit is due.
But he has?
I agree with @se9addick that if we can't convince 19yr old Small to stay for longer after playing 24 games it doesn't bode well for an "Ipswich style" summer window which some people have convinced themselves is on the way.
The same 19 year old who has already had 3 different "home clubs" and not played more than 14 games a season for any one of them?
I really wouldn't read too much into his not signing long-term, he's not one to hang around anywhere for long (whether for personal reasons or agent influence.)
If it were players like Campbell or Leaburn refusing to sign up and showing signs of wanting out, THAT would be alarming. This is just Small doing what he's done several times before.
Having been selected by Jones for those fourteen games and if as reported, he is happy at Charlton then the possibility that he might pen a deal is high. I’m sure his experience elsewhere will inform his opinion as to what’s best for his immediate prospects. I can’t imagine he’s been happy with how things have gone for him at Everton, Southampton and his loan clubs. Charlton and those fourteen games are probably the pinnacle of his career so far. I don’t blame him one iota for trying to get the best deal or for even considering his future options but I hope his agent is in his ear telling him he needs to start building a back history of playing games. It’s more games he needs on his cv. Not clubs.
If he doesn't sign a new contract, but stays for the season, this time next summer he could have another 50 games under his belt here, which would give him a decent back history, so he doesn't need to sign an extension to get that.
And as a free agent, he'll be free to go wherever he wants next summer for a nice signing on fee.
Goes both ways though, if he signs the new deal he will earn probably 3/4x the salary next season and doesn't have the risk of no contract should he get injured or underperform. Worth noting that he is earning absolute peanuts (less than Karoy and Assiimwe) as we originally signed him for our under 21s in January.
Hadn’t heard that he was originally an u21 signing, where did that come from?
I love you guys, anyone thinking we’re getting £1.2M for a 19 year old that’s played 14 games for us in the 3rd division & has 12 months remaining on their contract possesses a level of optimism I aspire to.
He has clearly been offered a longer term deal, clearly not signed it, and thus we’ve been put in a position where we need to trigger a one year option or lose the player. Triggering the option is the right call, but anyone seeing this as any more than another failing of our recruitment strategy has clearly had the rose tinted spectacles welded on.
I know I'm not the first to highlight this, but this is one of the most baffling things I've seen on here for a while. I would make the case that Small was the second best signing of last season after May even if we sold him tomorrow and got 200k for him. He came in at 19 and despite having barely played all season to that point, made the LWB spot his and made it so Jones didn't have to worry about it after that. That alone is very impressive for a 19 year old, and I think there's still more to come from him.
If we're going to complain about recruitment when it goes wrong (and it often has), then we should give credit where credit is due.
But he has?
I agree with @se9addick that if we can't convince 19yr old Small to stay for longer after playing 24 games it doesn't bode well for an "Ipswich style" summer window which some people have convinced themselves is on the way.
The same 19 year old who has already had 3 different "home clubs" and not played more than 14 games a season for any one of them?
I really wouldn't read too much into his not signing long-term, he's not one to hang around anywhere for long (whether for personal reasons or agent influence.)
If it were players like Campbell or Leaburn refusing to sign up and showing signs of wanting out, THAT would be alarming. This is just Small doing what he's done several times before.
Having been selected by Jones for those fourteen games and if as reported, he is happy at Charlton then the possibility that he might pen a deal is high. I’m sure his experience elsewhere will inform his opinion as to what’s best for his immediate prospects. I can’t imagine he’s been happy with how things have gone for him at Everton, Southampton and his loan clubs. Charlton and those fourteen games are probably the pinnacle of his career so far. I don’t blame him one iota for trying to get the best deal or for even considering his future options but I hope his agent is in his ear telling him he needs to start building a back history of playing games. It’s more games he needs on his cv. Not clubs.
If he doesn't sign a new contract, but stays for the season, this time next summer he could have another 50 games under his belt here, which would give him a decent back history, so he doesn't need to sign an extension to get that.
And as a free agent, he'll be free to go wherever he wants next summer for a nice signing on fee.
Goes both ways though, if he signs the new deal he will earn probably 3/4x the salary next season and doesn't have the risk of no contract should he get injured or underperform. Worth noting that he is earning absolute peanuts (less than Karoy and Assiimwe) as we originally signed him for our under 21s in January.
Hadn’t heard that he was originally an u21 signing, where did that come from?
Signed as a punt to provide cover for Edun, played a few games for the U21s then got drafted in for Bolton game as Edun was injured, scored and performed well and never left the first team. I don't think any of the recruitment team expected him to play anywhere near as much as he did.
This is what Andy Scott said when he signed: “With it being a short-term deal, it’s an opportunity for him to prove to us that he’s capable of being with us for longer. He gives us more competition on the left-hand side which is an area that we've been looking to add to."
I love you guys, anyone thinking we’re getting £1.2M for a 19 year old that’s played 14 games for us in the 3rd division & has 12 months remaining on their contract possesses a level of optimism I aspire to.
He has clearly been offered a longer term deal, clearly not signed it, and thus we’ve been put in a position where we need to trigger a one year option or lose the player. Triggering the option is the right call, but anyone seeing this as any more than another failing of our recruitment strategy has clearly had the rose tinted spectacles welded on.
I know I'm not the first to highlight this, but this is one of the most baffling things I've seen on here for a while. I would make the case that Small was the second best signing of last season after May even if we sold him tomorrow and got 200k for him. He came in at 19 and despite having barely played all season to that point, made the LWB spot his and made it so Jones didn't have to worry about it after that. That alone is very impressive for a 19 year old, and I think there's still more to come from him.
If we're going to complain about recruitment when it goes wrong (and it often has), then we should give credit where credit is due.
But he has?
I agree with @se9addick that if we can't convince 19yr old Small to stay for longer after playing 24 games it doesn't bode well for an "Ipswich style" summer window which some people have convinced themselves is on the way.
The same 19 year old who has already had 3 different "home clubs" and not played more than 14 games a season for any one of them?
I really wouldn't read too much into his not signing long-term, he's not one to hang around anywhere for long (whether for personal reasons or agent influence.)
If it were players like Campbell or Leaburn refusing to sign up and showing signs of wanting out, THAT would be alarming. This is just Small doing what he's done several times before.
Having been selected by Jones for those fourteen games and if as reported, he is happy at Charlton then the possibility that he might pen a deal is high. I’m sure his experience elsewhere will inform his opinion as to what’s best for his immediate prospects. I can’t imagine he’s been happy with how things have gone for him at Everton, Southampton and his loan clubs. Charlton and those fourteen games are probably the pinnacle of his career so far. I don’t blame him one iota for trying to get the best deal or for even considering his future options but I hope his agent is in his ear telling him he needs to start building a back history of playing games. It’s more games he needs on his cv. Not clubs.
If he doesn't sign a new contract, but stays for the season, this time next summer he could have another 50 games under his belt here, which would give him a decent back history, so he doesn't need to sign an extension to get that.
And as a free agent, he'll be free to go wherever he wants next summer for a nice signing on fee.
Which is exactly what his agent will be telling him.
Or alternatively, he doesn't commit to a long term deal so we go out and get a more experienced (committed) wingback and TS can then sit on his arse for a year getting a handful of games under his belt. If he's on shit wages as has been suggested we could just keep him as backup.
Id like him to sign as he has a lot of potential, but all the hysteria over will he/won't he is getting a bit OTT now.
I love you guys, anyone thinking we’re getting £1.2M for a 19 year old that’s played 14 games for us in the 3rd division & has 12 months remaining on their contract possesses a level of optimism I aspire to.
He has clearly been offered a longer term deal, clearly not signed it, and thus we’ve been put in a position where we need to trigger a one year option or lose the player. Triggering the option is the right call, but anyone seeing this as any more than another failing of our recruitment strategy has clearly had the rose tinted spectacles welded on.
I know I'm not the first to highlight this, but this is one of the most baffling things I've seen on here for a while. I would make the case that Small was the second best signing of last season after May even if we sold him tomorrow and got 200k for him. He came in at 19 and despite having barely played all season to that point, made the LWB spot his and made it so Jones didn't have to worry about it after that. That alone is very impressive for a 19 year old, and I think there's still more to come from him.
If we're going to complain about recruitment when it goes wrong (and it often has), then we should give credit where credit is due.
But he has?
I agree with @se9addick that if we can't convince 19yr old Small to stay for longer after playing 24 games it doesn't bode well for an "Ipswich style" summer window which some people have convinced themselves is on the way.
The same 19 year old who has already had 3 different "home clubs" and not played more than 14 games a season for any one of them?
I really wouldn't read too much into his not signing long-term, he's not one to hang around anywhere for long (whether for personal reasons or agent influence.)
If it were players like Campbell or Leaburn refusing to sign up and showing signs of wanting out, THAT would be alarming. This is just Small doing what he's done several times before.
Having been selected by Jones for those fourteen games and if as reported, he is happy at Charlton then the possibility that he might pen a deal is high. I’m sure his experience elsewhere will inform his opinion as to what’s best for his immediate prospects. I can’t imagine he’s been happy with how things have gone for him at Everton, Southampton and his loan clubs. Charlton and those fourteen games are probably the pinnacle of his career so far. I don’t blame him one iota for trying to get the best deal or for even considering his future options but I hope his agent is in his ear telling him he needs to start building a back history of playing games. It’s more games he needs on his cv. Not clubs.
If he doesn't sign a new contract, but stays for the season, this time next summer he could have another 50 games under his belt here, which would give him a decent back history, so he doesn't need to sign an extension to get that.
And as a free agent, he'll be free to go wherever he wants next summer for a nice signing on fee.
Goes both ways though, if he signs the new deal he will earn probably 3/4x the salary next season and doesn't have the risk of no contract should he get injured or underperform. Worth noting that he is earning absolute peanuts (less than Karoy and Assiimwe) as we originally signed him for our under 21s in January.
Hadn’t heard that he was originally an u21 signing, where did that come from?
Signed as a punt to provide cover for Edun, played a few games for the U21s then got drafted in for Bolton game as Edun was injured, scored and performed well and never left the first team. I don't think any of the recruitment team expected him to play anywhere near as much as he did.
This is what Andy Scott said when he signed: “With it being a short-term deal, it’s an opportunity for him to prove to us that he’s capable of being with us for longer. He gives us more competition on the left-hand side which is an area that we've been looking to add to."
Good old Andrew, he knows a decent player when he sees one.
I love you guys, anyone thinking we’re getting £1.2M for a 19 year old that’s played 14 games for us in the 3rd division & has 12 months remaining on their contract possesses a level of optimism I aspire to.
He has clearly been offered a longer term deal, clearly not signed it, and thus we’ve been put in a position where we need to trigger a one year option or lose the player. Triggering the option is the right call, but anyone seeing this as any more than another failing of our recruitment strategy has clearly had the rose tinted spectacles welded on.
I know I'm not the first to highlight this, but this is one of the most baffling things I've seen on here for a while. I would make the case that Small was the second best signing of last season after May even if we sold him tomorrow and got 200k for him. He came in at 19 and despite having barely played all season to that point, made the LWB spot his and made it so Jones didn't have to worry about it after that. That alone is very impressive for a 19 year old, and I think there's still more to come from him.
If we're going to complain about recruitment when it goes wrong (and it often has), then we should give credit where credit is due.
But he has?
I agree with @se9addick that if we can't convince 19yr old Small to stay for longer after playing 24 games it doesn't bode well for an "Ipswich style" summer window which some people have convinced themselves is on the way.
The same 19 year old who has already had 3 different "home clubs" and not played more than 14 games a season for any one of them?
I really wouldn't read too much into his not signing long-term, he's not one to hang around anywhere for long (whether for personal reasons or agent influence.)
If it were players like Campbell or Leaburn refusing to sign up and showing signs of wanting out, THAT would be alarming. This is just Small doing what he's done several times before.
Having been selected by Jones for those fourteen games and if as reported, he is happy at Charlton then the possibility that he might pen a deal is high. I’m sure his experience elsewhere will inform his opinion as to what’s best for his immediate prospects. I can’t imagine he’s been happy with how things have gone for him at Everton, Southampton and his loan clubs. Charlton and those fourteen games are probably the pinnacle of his career so far. I don’t blame him one iota for trying to get the best deal or for even considering his future options but I hope his agent is in his ear telling him he needs to start building a back history of playing games. It’s more games he needs on his cv. Not clubs.
If he doesn't sign a new contract, but stays for the season, this time next summer he could have another 50 games under his belt here, which would give him a decent back history, so he doesn't need to sign an extension to get that.
And as a free agent, he'll be free to go wherever he wants next summer for a nice signing on fee.
Which is exactly what his agent will be telling him.
Or alternatively, he doesn't commit to a long term deal so we go out and get a more experienced (committed) wingback and TS can then sit on his arse for a year getting a handful of games under his belt. If he's on shit wages as has been suggested we could just keep him as backup.
Id like him to sign as he has a lot of potential, but all the hysteria over will he/won't he is getting a bit OTT now.
This 100%, Can see this happening very soon if he just fu*ks us about for too long, NJ doesn't seem the type to take any shit...🤷♂️
I love you guys, anyone thinking we’re getting £1.2M for a 19 year old that’s played 14 games for us in the 3rd division & has 12 months remaining on their contract possesses a level of optimism I aspire to.
He has clearly been offered a longer term deal, clearly not signed it, and thus we’ve been put in a position where we need to trigger a one year option or lose the player. Triggering the option is the right call, but anyone seeing this as any more than another failing of our recruitment strategy has clearly had the rose tinted spectacles welded on.
I know I'm not the first to highlight this, but this is one of the most baffling things I've seen on here for a while. I would make the case that Small was the second best signing of last season after May even if we sold him tomorrow and got 200k for him. He came in at 19 and despite having barely played all season to that point, made the LWB spot his and made it so Jones didn't have to worry about it after that. That alone is very impressive for a 19 year old, and I think there's still more to come from him.
If we're going to complain about recruitment when it goes wrong (and it often has), then we should give credit where credit is due.
But he has?
I agree with @se9addick that if we can't convince 19yr old Small to stay for longer after playing 24 games it doesn't bode well for an "Ipswich style" summer window which some people have convinced themselves is on the way.
The same 19 year old who has already had 3 different "home clubs" and not played more than 14 games a season for any one of them?
I really wouldn't read too much into his not signing long-term, he's not one to hang around anywhere for long (whether for personal reasons or agent influence.)
If it were players like Campbell or Leaburn refusing to sign up and showing signs of wanting out, THAT would be alarming. This is just Small doing what he's done several times before.
Having been selected by Jones for those fourteen games and if as reported, he is happy at Charlton then the possibility that he might pen a deal is high. I’m sure his experience elsewhere will inform his opinion as to what’s best for his immediate prospects. I can’t imagine he’s been happy with how things have gone for him at Everton, Southampton and his loan clubs. Charlton and those fourteen games are probably the pinnacle of his career so far. I don’t blame him one iota for trying to get the best deal or for even considering his future options but I hope his agent is in his ear telling him he needs to start building a back history of playing games. It’s more games he needs on his cv. Not clubs.
If he doesn't sign a new contract, but stays for the season, this time next summer he could have another 50 games under his belt here, which would give him a decent back history, so he doesn't need to sign an extension to get that.
And as a free agent, he'll be free to go wherever he wants next summer for a nice signing on fee.
Which is exactly what his agent will be telling him.
Or alternatively, he doesn't commit to a long term deal so we go out and get a more experienced (committed) wingback and TS can then sit on his arse for a year getting a handful of games under his belt. If he's on shit wages as has been suggested we could just keep him as backup.
Id like him to sign as he has a lot of potential, but all the hysteria over will he/won't he is getting a bit OTT now.
Comments
This is what Andy Scott said when he signed: “With it being a short-term deal, it’s an opportunity for him to prove to us that he’s capable of being with us for longer. He gives us more competition on the left-hand side which is an area that we've been looking to add to."
Or alternatively, he doesn't commit to a long term deal so we go out and get a more experienced (committed) wingback and TS can then sit on his arse for a year getting a handful of games under his belt. If he's on shit wages as has been suggested we could just keep him as backup.
Id like him to sign as he has a lot of potential, but all the hysteria over will he/won't he is getting a bit OTT now.
Good old Andrew, he knows a decent player when he sees one.
Can see this happening very soon if he just fu*ks us about for too long, NJ doesn't seem the type to take any shit...🤷♂️