Jack Stephens

Jack Stephens and Maya Yoshida have stepped in well after the loss of VVD and Fonte (boo, hiss), but how do you see the future....especially for Jack. I believe he has stepped up well and this season has got valuable experience that he could only dream of and that he will feature at CB for us next season....at least in part. He is still young and presumably can only get better. Everything depends on what happens with Virgil....can you see VVD playing alongside Jack or Maya on a regular basis or do you feel we have a desperate need for another CB as well. I would like us to continue blooding Jack, but I am no one's harshest critic...nor have I seen many games. Would be interested to know your evaluations of the lad.

 

We need four CB's and we currently have two plus a loanee as Gardos is probably gone and VVD also. So Jack will get plenty of playing time in the future. He has done remarkably well all considered, especially as he has played alongside Maya, who much as we all like him, would not be a first choice CB in an ideal world.

 

I have been very impressed with Jack. Not just his defending but his general footballing ability and distribution.
Thought, we need another proper defensive midfielder to play alongside Romeu to release Steve Davis to play in a more advanced and creative role. I would like to see him moved forward into this role when VVD comes back or a new CB is bought. I see him very much like Dier of Spurs as a hybrid CB/DM
Certainly time for a new extended contract

 

If Maya goes (and he only has a year on his contract come June, so it's crunch time) we're going to be left with Virgil (who won't go, IMO) and Jack. It's going to be an area requiring strengthening, to say the least.

I have no fears at all about Jack playing as a regular starter but we're going to need cover very badly indeed.

Vin

 

I suspect we will give Maya a new contract as you need back up CBs (as this season has shown) and why look for another when you already have an experienced one in your dressing room....whether that will suit Maya if he sees how the wind blows...or he wants to be number one CB for another team is an unknown quantity.

 

I think we all agree Jack has done very well. To be fair Maya has stepped up to the plate as well. I would have thought Maya will be offered a new contract. As for VVD I'm not so sure they will let him go. My view is they would have made that clear when they offered him his new contract and we rarely if ever enter into buy out clauses either. What ever value he is at the moment will easily be added to in the next couple of years if he keeps his current form. However this lay off he has had is not going to help any on that score. I'm pretty sure they will replace Fonte with a decent CB and another youngster with prospects like Jack perhaps.

 

I'm bewildered by lack of pen and Yoshi's hand. Just what sense does it make to not have a contract on the table? If ever a player has earned a new deal, it is he.

 

They may have tried to hide the pen from Virgil and now it has been lost.

 

Jack has a lot of detractors on social media ... presumably because they prefer the sound of Caceres.

I, however, think he's been outstanding since he's come in. Barely put a foot wrong, and think he's actually done better overall than Yoshida, whose also done well!

 

There are some tough decisions to be made here.

Firstly there's Gardos who has one year left and is currently not in contention for a starting place. Whatever happens I don't think he's going to get gametime. For his career I think he should find somewhere that will play him. Got a feeling he might be stuck with us though as 4th choice emergency backup. He's not getting a new contract and even if we get an injury I expect we will buy another cb in Jan and put him back to 4th.

Then there's VVD. Guaranteed starter when fit but good chance he won't be here.


I think both Yoshida and Stephens are good good enough for a starting spot or at least 3rd choice and regular rotation, but If vvd goes i don't want to see them both starting as I don't think either of them are the type of player to organise the defence.

If vvd stays I would give second spot to yoshida in exchange for a new contract. He's said recently he's not content with being backup much more as he's at the stage of his career he wants to be starting. Stephens will get his chances.

If VvD leaves I have and urge to gamble on a couple of younger CB'S to develop and compete with Stephens and Yoshida. Chance to find a gem and not the end of the world if we don't.

Just throwing out thoughts.
it will be interesting to see how the club handle it in whichever case.

 

Maybe there is a contract on the table.

 

He would have signed it already. Of that, I have no doubt.

 

I think VVD will still be here next season so I think we need a CB to play alongside him with Maya and Stephens back up.

 

I think he might be interested to see if we go out and buy a starter. Particularly if we keep Van Dijk. Though he seems to be happy here and was happy to be 3rd choice, he might feel differently with Stephens coming in and doing every bit as good as he has.

Or there could be quiet discussions going on and the contract will be signed, sealed and delivered over the summer.

 

Do we need both as backup? One of them will effectively never play unless we have a cb crisis like this season or we do some serious rotating. I think they both deserve to be 3rd choice and might not like being 4th choice.

 

It may well be that simple. He has such a good relationship here, Les probably walked past him in the tunnel & said,
'Hey, contracts done, wet the ink at season close bud.'
Maya;
'Yeah boy.'


Last of the happy pro's.

 

Before this current run of games, I think last summer. He had an interview where he talked about his future where he said he was at the stage of his career where he wants to be starting every game and doesn't want to he backup. Think he said he wanted to earn it here but if he can't he would look at his options or something like that.

I could be wrong but I don't think he wants to sign a new contract where he's 3rd choice.

 

I see it in a different light. Never has his path to the first team been so open. And this summer may well strengthen that.

 

I'd like to think so but I don't think it's so clear cut. I'm utterly convinced we'll have offered a new contract. Not to have done so would be insane; the club can see what we can see. As a club we're nowadays in the habit of renewing contracts pretty early - witness the extension for Virgil after a year.

The only people we seem to have lost recently have been players with a year left on their contract. In those cases (Mané, Wanyama, Schneiderlin, Clyne), the word in every case was "offer was on the table, player chose not to extend".

Combine those two and I think it's entirely possible that Maya is thinking of leaving. I hate to think of it, as I love him so much that Qwerty, by comparison, hates him.

I'm sure you're aware that I'm often the mindless optimist of this board but I do fear we're going to lose Maya. Then again I worried about Oriol for the same reasons over the winter and that turned out OK. It may just be that his agent is being canny and going for top dollar from us but I'm concerned. I sincerely hope I'm wrong.

Vin

 

(Mane had two) but I get what you are saying, but I think MY will know that with the uncertainty over CB's this summer, he stands a very good chance of being a starter. We will need to go into the market place, but that's no guarantee that a newby will work out. Its funny in a way, because some of our fans will be pleased to see him leave while others will be most upset.