Scout Report – Patrick Roberts
West Ham United and Leicester City are understood to be harbouring an interest in signing Manchester City starlet Patrick Roberts in the summer. Currently playing for Celtic on loan, the 21-year-old has earned rave reviews for his performances to aid Brendan Rodgers’ side. Landing the talented midfielder will certainly not be an easy task and both clubs will have to fight tooth-and-nail to ward off potential suitors.
Estimated to be valued around £15million, will signing Roberts be worth it? Let’s take a closer look at the player’s profile so far.
History
Born in 1997, Roberts embarked on his football career by joining AFC Wimbledon. He eventually joined Fulham in 2010 and spent a good 4 years at the club, during which he even appeared for the senior team. Eventually, Manchester City snapped him up in 2015 but he did not receive adequate game time at the Etihad Stadium. He did feature in a couple of games as a substitute but that was about it and a significant lack of game time was hampering his development. Hence, to let him play more often, City sent him out on loan to Celtic in 2016.
Roberts spent the entire 2016/17 season with the Scottish giants and he was sent to Celtic once more in the summer of 2017. As far as his international career is concerned, Roberts has appeared at most levels for England – right from the U16 to the U20.
Playing Style
Like most young stars, Roberts’ biggest strength is his versatility and the ease with which he adapts to a variety of roles. At Celtic, he has predominantly played on the right-hand side. But he can patrol either flank with ease and has proven his mettle in the role of a central playmaker as well. Known for his innate attacking skills, Roberts is quite creative and can weave his way past even the toughest of opponents. Although he is strong at contributing to the attack force, Roberts does not shy away from finding the back of the net either.
Roberts’ Future
The player has featured for just 234 minutes on the field this season. He’s had a thigh problem this season and it has kept him out of action for long. For a player of his calibre though, a Premier League move would help him progress in his career.
It would be in his best interests to find a new club for himself at a better level. There is so much value he can add to both the Foxes as well as the Hammers. Both clubs are in need of dynamic young attackers and it will be interesting to see who lands his signature in the end.