It looks as though the Club are taking pre-emptive steps to ward off the predators chasing Pat Roberts: please log in to view this image Link to pic: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/...Nb0O3dTfJ7w-ToryEsfkPj5Mh_A5EofWcs7E3SvMkMssa “Manchester United have been told to pay £15m to sign Fulham wonderkid Patrick Roberts - who is also on the radar of Arsenal, Barcelona and Real Madrid - this summer, according to the Sunday Mirror The 17-year-old forward, who made his Premier League debut against Manchester City in March, played a starring role as England won the European Under-17 Championship last week. Widely regarded as one of the country’s most promising youngsters, Fulham are desperate to keep hold of the teenager after being relegated to the Championship. Fulham boss Felix Magath has told Roberts that he will be a first-team regular at Craven Cottage next season. The German coach hailed the youngster as an “extraordinary talent” earlier this season and has emphasised the point that first-team football will only benefit his development. However, Magath knows that a lucrative offer from United, Arsenal or one of the Spanish giants could be impossible for both Roberts and Fulham to turn down. Scouts are Arsenal are firmly of the opinion that Roberts has the potential to become just as good as Theo Walcott or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, two gifted Southampton academy products who have blossomed into Premier League stars at the Emirates Stadium. How much Louis van Gaal knows of Roberts is unclear. However, United scouts will be all too keen to inform the newly-appointed Red Devils’ manager of the young Englishman’s talent. The veteran Dutch coach may then give the green light for the club to make a move, even though Fulham are demanding a hefty £15m.”
If MAF were in charge, he'd announce to the whole world that Roberts was the future of Fulham and would never be sold. Then he'd quietly sell to the highest bidder, promising the unsuspecting manager that the money would be used to bring in more talent. Al Fayed would then pocket the money and tell the manager to get by with a bunch of broken-down old players. It will be interesting seeing what Khan does. My hope, like everyone I'm sure, is that we'll keep this kid. A good hard year in the Championship will strengthen skills (and shins).
The best bit here is that Magath has told Pat he can expect first team football with us next season. I think he'll stay - for now at least. If he has a good season and we don't go straight back up, we might struggle to keep him for long though. Let's hope he can be convinced that his best interests will be served by staying here.
What worries me about his news is not that he could be sold for 10/12/15mil,that could be great, if spent wisely, but we would take 1 2 or3 players on a swop basis who are over the hill on extreme wages, a no no on all accounts. Hughes of Derby would be a good acquisition to start with.
If we were to sell Roberts, this scenario would very highly unlikely. The precedent for a sale is set through the likes of Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Bale, Rooney etc. All these players were sold for a decent up front fee, but will with 75% or so extra in add-ons. A buying club is likely to want the protection of add-ons without complicating a deal with player swaps. Of course, all the players named before played for their club before the big team move; one can only hope we get the same from Pat this year. Everybody wins from Pat playing a full season with us this year.
