Why A Third Loan Spell At Celtic Would Be Perfect For Roberts
According to the reports from The Scottish Sun, Celtic are planning a £500,000 bid to bring back Manchester City youngster Patrick Roberts on loan once again for the next season.
The 20-year old has spent 18 months on loan at the Parkhead already and has become a huge fan favourite in his short stint. Manager Brendan Rodgers is also a huge fan of the starlet and is keen on extending his stay for another season.
The report also claims that City boss Pep Guardiola wants to take Roberts on the club’s pre-season tour to take a closer look at the player to get an idea if he is ready for regular first team involvement in the Premier League.
The England U-21 international has been sensational for the Bhoys over the past two seasons and has played a huge role in their domestic domination in the ongoing campaign. Roberts has managed to find the back of the net on 9 occasions and has chalked up a very impressive 17 assists from 43 games in all competitions.
While a return to England and the prospect of Premier League football may appeal to Roberts, the wealth of attacking options at the disposal of Guardiola would mean that he will not be a regular in the team by any means. The likes of Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, Kevin De Bruyne will all be ahead of him in the pecking order and as a result, playing time will be hard to come by.
On the other hand, at Celtic, the Englishman has a starting berth in Rodgers’ playing XI and has grown in importance over the last 2 seasons and is loved by the fans. He has a manager who knows him well and trusts his abilities and backs him to the hilt. From the club’s perspective too, the fact that Roberts has influenced games in such a huge way throughout the season will appeal to them and this could serve as a major reason for Celtic to keep him at the club.
There are no doubts about the abundance of talent and the exceptional abilities that Roberts has, but for him to fulfill all that immense potential, he needs to be playing regularly with the senior team at this stage of his career. That is something that he will find difficult to achieve at City. So, for his betterment and for him to continue his development at this rate, he would be better served by returning to Scotland for the next season.
Celtic too will be wanting to continue their domination in Scotland and fare better in Europe next season. So having a player who has been brilliant over the course of the season will provide them with a degree of continuation. In all the ways, a third loan spell makes total sense for both the player and the club and the Hoops should go ahead with full steam to bring Roberts back and the starlet too should jump at the opportunity of a return to the Celtic Park.
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