Who will be devastated when Pat departs?

[Fernhurst]

 :031: more articles surfacing softening us up for the departure of our young prince.

I will only start pummelling the floor if he stars fulfilling his massive potential and we miss out on 100 million.

Don`t Forget Your Toothbrush Patrick!
   
Although the deal that will see Fulham`s Patrick Roberts move to Manchester City isn`t finalized yet, the suggestion is that it will be done so shortly, possibly in the next two weeks.

Ahead of the deal we warned 18-year-old Patrick that he could find his opportunities severely limited at the Etihad Stadium.

However, it seems that the five feet six inch midfielder might not even have time to unpack his suitcase before he`s sent off on loan.

But it won`t be the delights of the Championship or a struggling Premier League side for Roberts, instead we`re hearing he`ll be packed off to the continent to maximize his development as City are wary his sleight frame might not stand up to the rigours.

Destinations suggested so far include France, Holland, Spain or Belgium, environments whereby City feel he`ll be able to enhance his development using his natural flair and ability.

I hate to say this young Patrick but you should have stayed with us for another year or two

[Craven Mad]

Controversial opinion, but I wouldn't be bothered at all.

If he doesn't want to sign a fresh deal (and we're being offered £10m) we should sell him. Let's be honest, he has the potential to be a world beater but - so far - isn't even a useful Championship player. He's barely done anything in senior football and looks lightweight. He's clearly got talent, but (with his contract situation) he'll be worthless in 12 months time and we'll never benefit from his potential - we may as well cash in.

With £10m we could afford players of the quality of Demarai Gray (alleged £3m asking price), Lewis Dunk (around £3.5m being touted), Tom Lees (£1.2m) Kevin McDonald (£1m) and Jazz Richards (I know... But he's only £500k) and still have money left over. That bunch will have a far bigger impact on our promotion chances next season than an unproven Pat Roberts.

Even a sale of Pat to Man City to buy Gray would leave us around £7m better off, with and with a player who's proven in senior football, is also English, is only 7-8 months older than Pat (both currently 18) - he'll have a big resale value too.

Basically, it'd be good business to let him go - we all know he won't be here forever anyway, at least this way we can cash in and try to fund a promotion push.

[Fernhurst]

Controversial opinion, but I wouldn't be bothered at all.

If he doesn't want to sign a fresh deal (and we're being offered £10m) we should sell him. Let's be honest, he has the potential to be a world beater but - so far - isn't even a useful Championship player. He's barely done anything in senior football and looks lightweight. He's clearly got talent, but (with his contract situation) he'll be worthless in 12 months time and we'll never benefit from his potential - we may as well cash in.

With £10m we could afford players of the quality of Demarai Gray (alleged £3m asking price), Lewis Dunk (around £3.5m being touted), Tom Lees (£1.2m) Kevin McDonald (£1m) and Jazz Richards (I know... But he's only £500k) and still have money left over. That bunch will have a far bigger impact on our promotion chances next season than an unproven Pat Roberts.

Even a sale of Pat to Man City to buy Gray would leave us around £7m better off, with and with a player who's proven in senior football, is also English, is only 7-8 months older than Pat (both currently 18) - he'll have a big resale value too.

Basically, it'd be good business to let him go - we all know he won't be here forever anyway, at least this way we can cash in and try to fund a promotion push.

Sensible post Craven.........I think a lot of us would be more upset if he had proved himself at first team level.

His switch could be massive for our chances next season, however, I would be very surprised even with those incomers of a top two place.

[Craven Mad]

Yeah, I agree about not getting top 2 - but you never know in this league (how many would've put money on Bournemouth for an automatic spot and to win the league this time last year?).

Also agree about being more disappointed if Pat had proven himself in a senior side. He didn't really get the chances last season but, after the mess Magath left us in, we didn't really have time to let a promising youngster learn on the pitch.

If he wants to sign to a long contract, I'd be delighted to see him breakthrough in our team. But, if you look at the promotion odds of a side who were relegated from the premier league, they drop off a cliff after 3 seasons in the Championship, so we've not got time to let a £10m asset sit on the bench - he'd need to be ready to perform now, or we should reinvest in players who can help us right now.

[Max Headroom]

we will never get more than 10-15 for him as he would be playing in the championship for us. Maybe we should send him out on loan to the continent.....

[rogerpbackinMidEastUS]

I'd be very disappointed if he left, but's let's face it, we all love our club but there are far more important things in life. (some may disagree :0)
Promotion and the long term stability of the club and don't rest on the shoulders of one diamond 18 year old, although he is no doubt a potential superstar.
I think he's getting some 'greedy' advice and who can blame him when things like One Million pound signing fees are waived under his nose.

What would really upset me is if he joined Man City and was then treated as a commodity and used  like a raggedy doll being tossed around until his value increases and he's sold on, probably never putting on a powder blue shirt.
I hope we play hard ball and have some 'peachy' add on clauses and if he becomes another Bale we get another huge chunk of change on transfer fees.

10 million sale price
5 Million if he plays 30 games for Man City
5 Million if he plays 5 games for England
10% of any future sell on price (each time he is sold)
1% of all merchandise rights from whoever he plays for.

You never know it might be sufficient to dissuade the parasites that play in powder blue and dark blue from venturing into our corner of the football world with their check books.

Either way, we move upwards, we've got other gems and some decent signings, with more to come and will prevail.
I wish the lad good luck, but suggests he think extremely carefully about what he does in the next couple of years.
The future is his, just take it slowly.

[Sgt Fulham]

Controversial opinion, but I wouldn't be bothered at all.

If he doesn't want to sign a fresh deal (and we're being offered £10m) we should sell him. Let's be honest, he has the potential to be a world beater but - so far - isn't even a useful Championship player. He's barely done anything in senior football and looks lightweight. He's clearly got talent, but (with his contract situation) he'll be worthless in 12 months time and we'll never benefit from his potential - we may as well cash in.

With £10m we could afford players of the quality of Demarai Gray (alleged £3m asking price), Lewis Dunk (around £3.5m being touted), Tom Lees (£1.2m) Kevin McDonald (£1m) and Jazz Richards (I know... But he's only £500k) and still have money left over. That bunch will have a far bigger impact on our promotion chances next season than an unproven Pat Roberts.

Even a sale of Pat to Man City to buy Gray would leave us around £7m better off, with and with a player who's proven in senior football, is also English, is only 7-8 months older than Pat (both currently 18) - he'll have a big resale value too.

Basically, it'd be good business to let him go - we all know he won't be here forever anyway, at least this way we can cash in and try to fund a promotion push.

Very convincing argument. I'd be sorry to see Pat leave, but ultimately our goal is to get promoted, and £10m could massively help fund that

[Lighthouse]

It will not be unusual for Fulham to lose players to top clubs. But I just don't see the great players others see. Roberts may well be one of the greats. But he may well not be. I think it makes sense to cash in.

On saying that if I was Roberts and interested in a career I would not go to City and then out on loan to a European club. I would stick to Fulham for now and concentrate on trying to break into play first team football. Too often young players go to Chelscum or City etc and are never heard of again.

[SG]

It will not be unusual for Fulham to lose players to top clubs. But I just don't see the great players others see. Roberts may well be one of the greats. But he may well not be. I think it makes sense to cash in.

On saying that if I was Roberts and interested in a career I would not go to City and then out on loan to a European club. I would stick to Fulham for now and concentrate on trying to break into play first team football. Too often young players go to Chelscum or City etc and are never heard of again.

Exactly, there are numerous examples of this.
If he goes I would be disappointed that he didn't see fit to sign a contract with us to maximise his value. Let's face it signing a contract costs him nothing and doesn't prevent him moving on as they are not worth the paper they are written on in terms of tying a player to a club.

[hovewhite]

If he doesn't want to be there then sell,its a no brainer for me as long as we get what we are asking money wise and a sell on if he goes for a lot of money in ze future.

[cmg]

I'd prefer to see 'If' rather than 'When' in the title.
And I can't believe we'd get Demerai Gray for £3m - or at all, really. He's a bigger, slightly more experienced but less talented version of Pat. His goals slightly tailed off last season, but he held his place and has every bit as much reason to have expectations of PL football as does Pat.

I would be devastated to see him leave at this stage, but I realize that these things happen. From the first time I saw him play I was convinced he was the most talented English kid of that age I have ever seen. The fact that he was at Fulham, was a local lad and had even been (for a while) at the same school as me, albeit some years (OK, some decades) after me, made him of particular interest. Circumstances put him in a Fulham 1st team PL jersey a couple years before I anticipated, but I'm glad I did, because I might not now get the chance again.

Players come and go and the figures mentioned are not to be sniffed at. Despite MJG's explanation, I still don't really see the advantage of going to Manchester City at this stage, apart from the kudos of being at one of 'big clubs' (and the money - but I'm sure he'll see plenty of that whatever happens). he is sensible enough to know that he won't get a sniff of 1st team and would only serve as a two or three year investment in future 'Home Grown' numbers. A loan back here (even a Curtois-style long term one) would not really help him as, unless things have changed considerably over the summer, he could still not expect to be an immediate starter here.

Loan to Holland? Well maybe not a bad idea. Before he pursued that, though, he might ask his erstwhile team mate Maumer Tankovic, how he thinks he has fared.
Tank's a couple of years older than Pat. He made an early impact at AZ, but seemed to have tapered off a bit towards the seasons end, losing his regular starting spot and he has not interested the Swedish selectors since last November when he made a u21 appearance.
He seems to feature highly in AZ's future (they are in Europe next season having finished 3rd), if this promotional vid is anything to go by.

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNxfsxwDdY4<

[Always made me laugh, young Tankovic, he even used to walk like Berbatov when he was warming up and this vid has a distinctly Zlatan-ish style about it. No harm in following your heroes - as long as you remember to include the good bits, too]

Pat always seems a sensible, intelligent young man. I was talking to one of his former teachers at Coombe Boys (where Fulham send their Academy boys for 'normal' education) and Pat would have been embarrassed at the praise he got. He said that may of the Fulham lads were 'a nightmare' - but not Pat. I hope he gets the best advice and makes the right choice.

[f321ffc]

An unproven talent but we need players that are going to get us to at least top six,  we all know we are a selling club so let's sell him now and if the money is invested properly along with whatever FFP will allow this could mean the difference between top six and automatic promotion .
Sell him now invest and bring it on. COYW

[bog]

I will be thoroughly p***** off if we don't see a little of he in a Fulham shirt.  :dft007: Perhaps have him back for a season's loan. 


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[Craven Mad]

And I can't believe we'd get Demerai Gray for £3m - or at all, really. He's a bigger, slightly more experienced but less talented version of Pat. His goals slightly tailed off last season, but he held his place and has every bit as much reason to have expectations of PL football as does Pat.

http://metro.co.uk/2015/04/21/arsenals-3million-demarai-gray-transfer-under-threat-as-liverpool-prepare-bid-for-birmingham-city-star-5160068/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2924873/Demarai-Gray-leave-Champions-League-believes-Birmingham-boss-Gary-Rowett.html

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/birmingham-city-reject-third-bournemouth-8500142

Just quoting the sort of price the papers had. Obviously it was a bit "Football Manager" to put a list of players and assume they'd all join etc, but the point was that £10m could buy us some decent first team players..

Agree with the rest of your post though. I think Pat (and most youngsters) want it all right away. If he were to stay here his career might seem to grow more slowly, but it'd be more stable and less likely to get derailed. Players who were at a far more advanced stage of their career have been all but ruined by moves to a bigger team (Jack Rodwell, Micah Richards, Scott Sinclair, Jamaal Lascelles, Harry Maguire, Connor Wickham, Zaha, etc were all showing such promise and were enticed by big-money and big-name moves, only to realise they were never gonna get a game and should've stayed put)..

[Texas White]

Controversial opinion, but I wouldn't be bothered at all.

If he doesn't want to sign a fresh deal (and we're being offered £10m) we should sell him. Let's be honest, he has the potential to be a world beater but - so far - isn't even a useful Championship player. He's barely done anything in senior football and looks lightweight. He's clearly got talent, but (with his contract situation) he'll be worthless in 12 months time and we'll never benefit from his potential - we may as well cash in.

With £10m we could afford players of the quality of Demarai Gray (alleged £3m asking price), Lewis Dunk (around £3.5m being touted), Tom Lees (£1.2m) Kevin McDonald (£1m) and Jazz Richards (I know... But he's only £500k) and still have money left over. That bunch will have a far bigger impact on our promotion chances next season than an unproven Pat Roberts.

Even a sale of Pat to Man City to buy Gray would leave us around £7m better off, with and with a player who's proven in senior football, is also English, is only 7-8 months older than Pat (both currently 18) - he'll have a big resale value too.

Basically, it'd be good business to let him go - we all know he won't be here forever anyway, at least this way we can cash in and try to fund a promotion push.

Sensible post Craven.........I think a lot of us would be more upset if he had proved himself at first team level.

His switch could be massive for our chances next season, however, I would be very surprised even with those incomers of a top two place.

I dont want to sell the  crown jewels and it angers me that we have to do so.  However people have to understand we dont have the financial clout of the big boys. Three proven players in for the same amount is the only way back to the premier league.
Good luck Pat. Think you are being given bad advice.
I only want players who want to play for FFC.

[GloucesterWhite]

Sadly Pat will go. On the positive side, we can invest and then push for promotion with 'the team that Pat built'.

[SouthfieldWhite]

I will be sad to  see him go as Ive watched him for last 3-4 years long before most had even heard of Pat Roberts

Always looked like he'd be a special player and sad that most havnt had the chance or will get the chance to see the best of pat in a Fulham shirt


A mate is a top scout at Citeh, he can't say too much

Personally I can still see him going to Liverpool instead

[Twig]

Controversial opinion, but I wouldn't be bothered at all.

If he doesn't want to sign a fresh deal (and we're being offered £10m) we should sell him. Let's be honest, he has the potential to be a world beater but - so far - isn't even a useful Championship player. He's barely done anything in senior football and looks lightweight. He's clearly got talent, but (with his contract situation) he'll be worthless in 12 months time and we'll never benefit from his potential - we may as well cash in.

With £10m we could afford players of the quality of Demarai Gray (alleged £3m asking price), Lewis Dunk (around £3.5m being touted), Tom Lees (£1.2m) Kevin McDonald (£1m) and Jazz Richards (I know... But he's only £500k) and still have money left over. That bunch will have a far bigger impact on our promotion chances next season than an unproven Pat Roberts.

Even a sale of Pat to Man City to buy Gray would leave us around £7m better off, with and with a player who's proven in senior football, is also English, is only 7-8 months older than Pat (both currently 18) - he'll have a big resale value too.

Basically, it'd be good business to let him go - we all know he won't be here forever anyway, at least this way we can cash in and try to fund a promotion push.

Spot on.  And as Roger Pin has said let's ensure the contract has some tasty add ons.

[St Eve]

If he wants to go then we have no choice, but I don't understand the argument that we could spend the 10 million on other players. Isn't our owner a billionaire?

[fulhamben]

im gonna lose it big time. id rather sell every other player on our books.