I was very pleased to read Daniel Farke`s comments on the recent speculation surrounding the future of Ben Godfrey as reported by the Pink ‘Un
If you missed the rumours earlier in the week, it basically came from Sky Sports and their “sources”, who reported that the likes of West Brom, Swansea and Southampton were all keeping tabs on Godfrey, who is currently on loan at Shrewsbury Town.
The 19 year old has been playing as a defensive midfielder, a role that Farke called “a key position for the game” and he has 20 starts for the Shrews under his belt. By all accounts he`s been doing rather well.
Shrewsbury themselves have been worried about Ben being recalled in January but Farke maintains that at this point, the intention is for the lad to be out on loan for the whole season and that bodes well for promotion chasing Shrewsbury.
I get the impression that Godfrey`s future is linked to that of Alex Tettey who has shown anyone who cares to watch, how to play the defensive midfielder role in the five seasons he has been at Norwich.
In the final year of his contract now, Tettey has been out injured for almost two months but is fit again and has travelled with the squad to Leeds. The chances of him being offered another deal after that look slim, probably due to his age and a high current salary. He recently spoke about wanting to return to Norway, so the path looks set.
When he came into the club, Stuart Webber spoke about use of the loan system to get experience for our young players and letting them get that at other clubs where they will definitely play, rather than warming the City bench. He also spoke about loaning players in to cover for that young player until he is ready.
A classic example of that scenario seems to be playing out with Harrison Reed at the moment. Godfrey looks to have a bright future but with only 20 starts in league football under his belt, it`s a big ask for him to be given the responsibility of defensive midfield at this time. Until he`s ready, we`ve loaned in Reed – at least that`s how it looks to me.
As Farke also said “If some other clubs are thinking he is doing well is a good sign.
“If we were the only club who thought Ben Godfrey was a good player we would have a problem. Other clubs are not stupid. They know he is a good player.”
And that, I guess, is exactly the situation. Godfrey has been playing in League One and doing okay, none of those Premier League clubs is going to offer the mega bucks required to make City agree to sell him. Not like Jacob Murphy or James Maddison, who have both proven their credentials in the Championship.
If Godfrey comes back in the summer and bags a starting spot in Farke`s first team and performs as well then, well, then the club might receive some worthwhile offers. In the meantime though, let`s wish him well and hope he can come back, a wiser and more experienced player because letting Shrewsbury blood him in league football is all part of the master plan.
OTBC