If I were to sum up this contract extension, I’d pretty much classify it as ‘last chance saloon’.
Not for us, I think we can move forward without him and we wouldn’t really notice that he was missing, but for Jack Rodwell and what he wants to do with his career at the end of the season, whether it be with us or another team.
The club announced this weekend that both he and Phil Jagielka have signed one-year deals to keep them at the club until next summer. I made my feelings known about the Jagielka deal yesterday, but for someone like Rodwell I’m going to be slightly more sympathetic purely because he’s both younger and more flexible in what he can offer than Jagielka.
Capable of playing in central or defensive midfield as well as at centre-back, Rodwell will be able to cover plenty of positions, and with the Premier League set to go back to just the seven substitutes and three substitution rule for the 2020/21 season, we’re going to need as much flexibility as we can get, both in the league and during cup games as this season has the potential to be just as hectic as the last one in places.
Will Jack Rodwell still be with us for the 2021/22 season?
Yes
No
I’ve said before that it might be pretty hard for Rodwell to stake a claim for a regular spot in the first-team, whether it be as a defender or as a midfielder, and that will pretty much remain that way this upcoming season, so he will need to make the most of any opportunities that come his way, which will probably come his way a lot more frequently than Jagielka.
In a way, he isn’t so much playing for a place with us in 2021/22 and beyond, he should be looking towards looking good for any other clubs might be looking at bringing him in next summer.