Looking Closer: Nathan Redmond
If you have had your head in a hole since the end of the season (and no one can blame you for how it ended) you may not have heard about our chase for Nathan Redmond. Reports breaking recently have been suggesting that Stoke are on the verge of signing Norwich and England under 21’s winger for a reported figure of 10 million pounds.
Now that may seem a large figure for a 22 year old who has spent a great deal of his career playing in the championship, but it can actually be seen as quite a shrewd deal. First, the increase in value of home grown commodities must be taken into account. Figures automatically sky rocket when attempting to sign a domestic player, due to the rule requiring 8 domestic players within the squad, and due to our European aspirations this is even more important. Secondly, Redmond is one of the hottest prospects in the country. A player who has followed the traditional route going from the under 18’s national side to the under 21’s, where he played a pivotal role in winning the Toulon Tournament last month. Finally, the figure will be high due to the expect departure of Arnie, due to the widely reported issues with getting his pen to paper the club can, to some degree, be held to ransom due to our urgent need of wide players.
So what will Redmond bring to the side? Well this is probably the first of a new type of signing for Sparky, one that we can expect to see many more of this summer. Redmond is in no way a player signed to go straight into the starting XI at weekends, he is a player to enter into the squad providing different options from the bench. This is a situation that will work well for both parties. For Sparky and the Club Redmond is a different type of wide player to both the inside forwards of Arnie and Shaqiri. For Redmond himself, he is being given the perfect opportunity to prove his worth. By not having a cemented starting place Redmond will have to work hard to earn game time, meaning when he comes on he will not simply be playing out the game, he will be attempting to assert himself over it. This is the type of player we are not currently blessed with. Most of the bench on match days is filled with ex-Pulis players or those who are simply not of the required quality to be in the starting XI. Redmond is unlike these players and will be itching to get onto the pitch, the perfect situation for himself and ourselves.
Redmond is a player comfortable with attempting to beat his man either side utilising his pace. His slim stature allows him to ghost around players, whilst using his pace to leave them for dead once he has passed them. His excellent goal in the Toulon tournament also displayed that Redmond has a reasonable powerful shot, this makes him seem like a reasonably complete package. Redmond’s natural side is the right wing due to his preferred method of beating his man to the by-line and delivering a ball into the middle. However, he is also capable of playing down the left as his left foot cannot be described as a truly weaker one, and he does possess the ability to cut inside to beat the opposition.
It is unlikely that Redmond will be brought in to be Arnie’s replacement, he is more likely to be supplementary to our two preferred wide men (whoever they may be). But he is certainly a signing to get excited about. His close friendship to Jack Butland will further enhance the harmony within the squad. And at 22 he is a player with his entire career ahead of him, our club will be one where he can be developed into the fantastic player he has the ability to be, and I’m sure that it is his future which justified the transfer sum to Coatesy. Ultimately this is an excellent transfer, and getting it through before the Euro’s will ease some of the pressure on the board, allowing them to pursue further options after the competition.
Here is his banger against Guniea U23’s:
And this is the highlight real you will probably search for after reading this:
written by Tom Thrower
Trackback from your site.
