It’s something that brings a lot of emotion to football fans, whether it be through the academy or if they have supported us since they were young, or both there’s just that something extra special about it that you don’t get with a multi-million-pound deal.
We’ve had a number of players come through the ranks over the years, with varying levels of success. For every Ryan Sessegnon, there’s inevitably a Matthew Briggs. However, one man who has had a pretty reasonable career so far without having to leave the Cottage on a permanent deal is Marcus Bettinelli.
He’s a player that’s won and lost his place a number of times during his career with us since his debut in 2014 to the likes of David Button, Sergio Rico and most recently Marek Rodak. And after some of the impressive displays by the latter this season, I don’t think he’s going to get that place back any time soon.
Which leads me to a bit of a sad question to ask. Has he reached the end of the road with us?
Personally, I don’t want him to leave. Both for emotional reasons, as laid out above, and for professional reasons too. I think if we were to suffer another relegation this season (hopefully we don’t, but let’s be realistic), he’s a good option to have in the Championship, but during his time here, I think he’s proved that the second tier is pretty much his level, and if we are to stay up and move forward, I don’t think he’s worth hanging on to.
Should we sell or keep Bettinelli this summer?
Sell
Keep
On top of that, if Rodak gets injured/suspended this year, and Bettinelli is put in goal for a few games, are you feeling confident he’ll be able to make the step up?
So if a Championship team were to come in for him, or a Premier League team as a ‘quote filler’ ala Scott Carson at Manchester City, and offer us a decent fee for him, should we really be in a position to turn it down? Looking at previous transfer fees for goalkeepers in the division, £4-5m for an established Championship stopper doesn’t seem too far-fetched.
Whilst that might look like a drop in the ocean compared to the money we get in the Premier League, it’s still money that can be used elsewhere within the squad, like using it to help cover the £8m move for Harrison Reed.
What about you? Do you think Bettinelli should be sold this summer? Or do you think he needs to be kept as an emergency goalkeeper, just in case?