I think we were all caught a little by surprise when Sean Roughan was revealed to have spent time with Premier League Southampton this week.
The 17-year-old, who was last seen in the Football League as we went down 3-1 at home to Portsmouth, appeared for the Saints in a couple of trial games, before returning to Sincil Bank. He hasn’t featured for the Imps since December, although he has regularly made the matchday squad, last warming the bench as we beat Burton Albion 1-0.
The young Irish defender is seen as an exciting prospect, having started the season in the first team. He made 11 starts for City, six in the league, but disappeared from view as the season progressed. That hasn’t stopped him helping the Under 18s to the FA Cup 4th Round, and there was a deep belief he would be around the first team next season, having signed a professional deal at the age of 16 last summer.
In response to his trial at St Mary’s, Michael Appleton said: “It was an opportunity for them to have a look at Sean. They’ve shown an interest for a while now. We were more than happy for that to happen. He’s our player until someone makes an offer, it’s as simple as that.”
With regards to why he might be allowed to leave, Michael spoke of the potential pathway to senior football for Roughan.
“As it stands, at this moment in time, he’s a young player and we just want to make sure that he’s got the right pathway. If that’s with us, for me, he has to be playing. At this moment in time, he’s not doing that.”
Some might think that we should be looking at playing our own crown jewels, but it isn’t that simple. Sean started the season very well, and his omission has been a surprise for some. He’s clearly a talented boy and bigger clubs are obviously keen, which does make him something of a commodity. I’m not saying he has been left out of the side because clubs might be interested, but as he is an investment of sorts, I think his game time has been managed carefully.
By allowing him to go to Southampton and have a trial, we have clearly demonstrated to our other young players, and any we might find in the future, we will not stand in the way of talent progressing. Of course, we’d love to see Sean come through the ranks and establish himself as a first-team player, but it doesn’t always work like that.
Think back to Jack Hobbs as a fine example, he appeared once for City before being snapped up. Look at Gareth Barry at Brighton, Jermaine Pennant at Notts County or even young Morgan Rogers. All moved for big sums (apart from Barry, who was ripped from Brighton on the cheap), without impacting the team they came up with. Sadly, that is football.
If Sean is to become our first million-pound player, it might be that he does so without kicking another ball for the Imps. It might be that Southampton do not follow up the interest and we keep looking for a career path for him, who knows? The point is this: football works very differently from how you or I believe. It is not just a case of playing Sean more, because where do you play him? Centre back, instead of Montsma, or Walsh, or Eyoma? Left-back in place of Bramall and Edun? Those players have got us to where we are right now, the League One play-offs, and whilst Sean has played his part, he is not in a position to oust those, yet.
If he does move, City get a big fee. If he does not move, we work with him through the summer and maybe he finds a place in our first team. My thought is if we do not go up and he stays, we might see more of him next season. If we go up and he stays, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him loaned to a team like Walsall, with whom Max Melbourne has had some success, for regular football. If he goes, then it is likely to be an upfront fee with chunky add-ons which could net us a fortune down the line. Every instance is a win for the Imps.
What I would say is this: as well as being a ‘commodity’, Sean is also a young man with his career ahead of him, a career that can be broken or flourish on single decisions. It is not easy at that age anyway, at 17 I barely knew what I wanted for the day ahead when I awoke in the morning, let alone having to make decisions that could affect my life. If Southampton do come in, how could he, or his advisors turn it down, given their record with young players?
Personally, I find it a credit to our club’s recruitment, and to Sean himself, that the Saints have shown any interest at all and I’m sure whatever he does he’ll be a success. I hope so anyway, I have a pair of his signed boots and if he goes on to be a top Premier League player, they’ll be worth a fortune!
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