After the surprise addition of Ravel Morrison to the Sheffield United squad earlier this year, the Blades are toying with the idea of bringing another former England prodigy into their ranks. Jack Rodwell has been training with Chris Wilder’s side, and according to the manager: “Jack is looking at us, and we are looking at Jack”. But would it be wise for the Premier League’s seventh-placed side to disrupt their squad dynamic by bringing in a player who has previously been criticised for taking home a £70,000 salary while former club Sunderland were heading towards League One?
Despite his insistence that: “It’s not about money” it was difficult to look at the situation as anything other than a player protecting themselves over their club. But now a free agent, having failed to extend his deal with Blackburn Rovers, the 28-year-old has a point to prove if he is to get anyone to say: “Wow, Jack’s back.”
Unfortunately, though, there is very little evidence to suggest Rodwell is back or able to cut his cloth in the English top-flight. Based on lasts seasons performances he probably wouldn’t even make the Sheffield United starting eleven, much like Morrison is currently discovering. For Blackburn last term Rodwell made fewer tackles than Blades regulars Oliver Norwood and John Fleck, and incredibly the former has boosted his numbers for interceptions and tackles since securing a Premier League promotion.
Furthermore, Rodwell failed to provide a single assist during his time with the former Premier League champions, while Norwood and Fleck registered 18 between them. The ex-England international managed a meagre 0.1 key passes per match relative to the Sheffield duo’s 2.3 and 1.6 per 90 minutes. But the most compelling statistic is that the 28-year-old was making an average of 28 passes per game in his 21 appearances, which was 40 less per match than Norwood and with almost ten per cent less accuracy.
The former Manchester City player struggled to hold down a place in the Blackburn Rovers squad which finished the Championship season in 15th, so his chances of making it at the seventh-best side in England are slim. Wilder may see him as a back-up option, but having him and Morrison in the same squad could seriously threaten to turn the dressing room dynamic toxic.
