You’re a young player who never quite hacked it at your first club, Chelsea; always promising, but never quite there. Shipped out on loans before a couple of moves, and finally landing at the Liberty stadium with Brendan Rodgers’ reborn Swansea City. Promoted to the Premier League after notching a hat-trick in the play-off final, your first season back in the top flight is a success both for the team and individually. To cap the the rise to fame, you play in the GB Olympics team and notch a record into the history of those halcyon days for British sport.
After the season’s end, you hear that your club have been approached by the nouvelle mega rich Manchester City, and that they want you to join their pursuit of glory. The club accept the bid, and it’s your decision. Do you stay with your current club, or take the chance to prove all of your critics wrong, take this fleeting opportunity of medals and glory, plus the obvious big increment in salary? Well, what would you do? Yep, me too. I’d do what Scott Sinclair did. I’d grab it with both hands.
Sometimes these things lead to fame and fortune; other times, less so. Unfortunately for Sinclair, the latter has been the case during his year with Manchester City. A handful of appearances and a more regular selection on the bench has hardly given him the platform to display his talents and prove his worth, but this is often the way at a big club packed with mega stars. As the man said, “Nobody said it was going to be fair.”
This morning the press were reporting that Sinclair would be moved on by City in the summer. Apparently Roberto Mancini has apologised to him that it hadn’t worked out. I’m not sure that I can actually visually that happening. Mancini apologising to a player? Nah, I’m not having that, but perhaps it was more in the meaning of a conversation than in the actuality. In any instance, the Manchester Evening News has reported Mancini as saying that Sinclair might be better off away from the Etihad. Now, I can see him saying that.
It might seem that it’s all a little depressing for Sinclair, but perhaps it’s not that bad. This IS South Wales report Swans manager Michael Laudrup hinting that he may well want to take Sinclair back at the Liberty, albeit at a drastically lower deal than Sinclair has enjoyed at City. So, perhaps there’s a way back to Wales a welcome in the hillside.
Some may argue that Sinclair took the easy option, picked up the big wages and was happy to sit on the bench. That he should have shown loyalty and stayed with Swansea. That he got what he deserved. I think that’s really harsh. Who wouldn’t take the chance of proving yourself on the biggest stage, especially if there’s financial security for your family written into the deal? Plus of course, Swansea accepted the deal, giving him the opportunity to go. So, it didn’t work out, but imagine the soul searching you’d do if given the chance, you settled for ‘being OK’ rather than giving yourself the chance to be exceptional. Here’s hoping Sinclair’s tumble from the city heights has a soft landing. He remains an outstanding player and should he land at a Premier League club next season, the game against Manchester City will doubtless being an interesting one.
Source: DSG
