CONFIMRED - George Evans

[loyalroyal4life]

Fair play if we can pull this off, about time we went for premier league youngsters,

[JamieY26]

Young, strong looking, box to box midfielder popping in goals in the third tier that we are getting from a top four premier league club?

Yes please.

Remind anyone of the last time we bought one if those?

Chris Casper? Luke Chadwick?

[From Despair To Where?]

The obvious answer is Sidwell but what happened to Chadwick? He was getting starts in the all conquering Man Utd side and has ended up as a lower league journeyman. I guess the stakes were ramped up by the spending of the nouveau riche clubs and academy products weren't given the time or oportunity to develop

[TBM]

Young, strong looking, box to box midfielder popping in goals in the third tier that we are getting from a top four premier league club?

Yes please.

Remind anyone of the last time we bought one if those?

Chris Casper? Luke Chadwick?

1) we didn't buy those two
2) one was a cb the other a winger

[Hoop Blah]

The obvious answer is Sidwell but what happened to Chadwick? He was getting starts in the all conquering Man Utd side and has ended up as a lower league journeyman. I guess the stakes were ramped up by the spending of the nouveau riche clubs and academy products weren't given the time or oportunity to develop

There are plenty of players who've had bit parts in very good sides but then not been able to hold their own in lesser teams when more is expected of them without better players there to carry them. That's probably especially true for younger players who are given a chance higher up before finding their level (or being hit by other factors).

1) we didn't buy those two
2) one was a cb the other a winger

We bought Casper surely?

I like the sound of this young lad though. Looks very tidy on the ball and speaks like a solid lad who's not going to cause a shed load of problems. Interesting that we're trying to sign another centre mid though.

[winchester_royal]

For me this is exactly the type of signing we should be making. A young, English player who is clearly talented and grounded in equal measure.

I find it astonishing and yet completely unsurprising at the same time that people are having a moan about this. 'We've got plenty of midfielders' they say - really? We've got Norwood, Williams (out of contract in summer), Tshibola (injured), and Quinn (who is probably naturally a winger anyway). Kuhl isn't good enough yet, Fernandez never will be.

Yes we'd all like to see a 20 goal a season striker come in, and I'm sure the club are looking for one (along with every other club in the country), but if the opportunity arises to sign a young player with lots of potential in a position that I think we're still not overly blessed with quality then we'd be muppets to turn it down.

[TBM]

We bought Casper surely?

I like the sound of this young lad though. Looks very tidy on the ball and speaks like a solid lad who's not going to cause a shed load of problems. Interesting that we're trying to sign another centre mid though.

Yeah sorry i was thinking of Upson - either way, he wasn't a box to box midfielder

[Winston Smith]

The obvious answer is Sidwell but what happened to Chadwick? He was getting starts in the all conquering Man Utd side and has ended up as a lower league journeyman. I guess the stakes were ramped up by the spending of the nouveau riche clubs and academy products weren't given the time or oportunity to develop

There are plenty of players who've had bit parts in very good sides but then not been able to hold their own in lesser teams when more is expected of them without better players there to carry them.

this. it's easier to be good/look good with better players around you. The worse team you are in, the worse play is going on around you, the worse service you get from team mates and the worse they react to your play.

most successful top level teams have youngsters that come and go and look like they have a promising future, yet when they finally move on they are not really all that good.

[Winston Smith]

what happened to Chadwick? He was getting starts in the all conquering Man Utd side

11 league starts in 5 years

[RoyalJames101]

Having already had his loan cancelled, Evans was in the away end among the fans for Walsall's game at Bury.

I like that.

I'm not convinced stacking up midfielders is the right idea, but if we're losing Williams or Piazon then it makes a bit of sense. And sometimes I guess you have to swoop for the good ones even if they're not exactly what you need right then.

Williams, Norwood and Quinn are our only fit CM's at the moment. Tish seems to be struggling to get over his injury and Fernandez and Piazon will both be off in the summer so it does make sense to start preparing for next season.

With all the loan signings we've got this year, the earlier we make signings to replace them for next season the better IMO.

[royalsroyalsroyals92]

Looks like he'll be a good signing!
Wonder if this spells the end for some youth midfielders like Aaron Kuhl?

[CountryRoyal]

Quinn (who is probably naturally a winger anyway).

Behave

[Sutekh]

Latest on the EP website

George Evans looks set to join Reading this week, with the Championship side understood to have struck an agreement with Manchester City to sign he 21-year-old.

Evans has been on loan at Walsall this season and impressed and it looks as though he will now make the switch to the Madejski Stadium.

City recalled Evans from his loan at Walsall on Saturday and reports emerged that Brentford, who are managed by former Walsall boss Dean Smith, were keen on signing him.

Evans became only the second player in Manchester City's history to represent the club at every single level when he made his senior debut earlier in the season in a League Cup game away at Sunderland. As a proud Mancunian and lifelong City fan, it was a dream come true of the youngster.

He had previously been involved with the first-team on their post-season tour of North America where he scored a superb long-range effort that caught the eye of the club's staff.

He is very highly thought of at City – a player seen as having the right level of professionalism to make a name for himself in the game.

Ultimately, though, it appears he is deemed to be short of the technical quality needed to make it with the Blues, but, clearly, he is a player with the capacity, both mentally and physically, to make a career in the game.

He's an industrious, hard-working midfielder who Patrick Vieira attempted to mould into a centre-half, with a decent range of passing and a good reading of the game.

[Gordons Cumming]

And he sounds articulate and moves for a throw in.

Impressive.

[Winston Smith]

He's an industrious, hard-working midfielder who Patrick Vieira attempted to mould into a centre-half, with a decent range of passing and a good reading of the game.[/i]

We will soon train that out of him

[Sutekh]

"You can't make a pig's ear out of a silk purse", "what ho", says Brian, "Just give him a season at Reading"

[Rollerbob]

For me, the most interesting aspect will be the fee paid.

If he's dead cheap, then it's not an issue that he's a young CM - because it doesn't really matter if he plays for the U21's or whatever for the remainder of the season.

If he's fairly expensive, then it's more interesting. As many have said, we don't really need another CM. If we've spent good money on this lad, then it'll be interesting to see what chances he's given in and around the first team. What with Williams, Piazon, Quinn, Norwood, Tish & Fernandez (who?) all fighting for a starting place there. With a higher transfer fee paid, comes some sort of expectation.

[winchester_royal]

Tbh I will be staggered if he's only been brought in to play U21 football for the rest of the season. He was impressing for a team at the top of League 1 for the first half of the season, was playing regular football, and seems to be at the age now where he'll want to be playing competitive football week in week out. He could play U21 football at Man City for the next 6 months with better coaches/facilities/players than here, so there's no reason why he'd come here just to do that.

[Sutekh]

Tbh I will be staggered if he's only been brought in to play U21 football for the rest of the season. He was impressing for a team at the top of League 1 for the first half of the season, was playing regular football, and seems to be at the age now where he'll want to be playing competitive football week in week out. He could play U21 football at Man City for the next 6 months with better coaches/facilities/players than here, so there's no reason why he'd come here just to do that.

Have to say we are overloaded with midfielders at all levels at the moment.

Assuming we get this bloke then would suggest the Williams will be leaving this month or the summer when his contract expires while Fernandez will certainly be returning to Spain and Taylor will be released. This would leave 4 players battling for 2 central midfield places; Quinn, Toshiba, Evans and Norwood. This would be the expected competition.

Not sure what it means for the likes of Kuhl though, perhaps he'll be released as he's not made any real impact on the first team, unlike several of his peers.

[marlowuk]

Moves for a throw in.

Sign him immediately!!