Crewe Alex: Big Ambitions

It will probably come as no surprise that a young ambitious player wants to play at a high level. Attacker George Cooper recently spoke to Shoot! Magazine:

“I`d love to play in the Premier League and represent my country, but I will do the best I can and give myself the best chance I can” he said.

He’s not the first Crewe player to have had big ambitions: most recently we’ve seen Nick Powell, Luke Murphy and Max Clayton sign for big clubs.

Powell signed for Manchester United, and never really got going due to injuries. After a good loan spell at Wigan Athletic, he failed to kick on and prove himself in the Premier League, and now finds himself back with the Latics who are stuck in the relegation zone of the Championship.

Murphy signed for Leeds United, and has had very mixed fortunes. After a poor first season, he kicked on in the second half of his second season, showing that he does have the quality to impress at a higher level. However, a poor season followed and he’s found himself frozen out under new manager Garry Monk (who’s doing remarkably well in difficult circumstances, mind).

Meanwhile, Max Clayton has had perhaps the most frustrating time of all, rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament after finding form under Neil Lennon at Bolton Wanderers. Upon his comeback he impressed again in the few games he played before a hamstring tear which ruled him out until Boxing Day 2016 (i.e. yesterday) when he was named on the bench for Bolton.

Now Cooper is clearly looking to follow in their footsteps and make a name for himself and attract the interest of a bigger club – and fair enough. However, he is by no means the finished article, and to achieve his goals he will have to improve his consistency.

“I`ve got years to come yet and I am still playing in League Two, so I have got a long way to go’ he continued.

You’ll remember that Cooper won League One’s Apprentice of the Season award last year when we were relegated.

He had the following to say to Shoot! on that:

‘I thought I was better than I actually was. After I won that award, people were saying ‘Oh, he should be doing this, should be doing that.’

“But I was still very young in League One, it was hard for me. I was 18, playing against grown men who had played in the Championship, or even above.

“That took me a few good months to get over. Last season was a bad season for me really.”

This is refreshing from a young player who clearly knows where he stands. He has undoubted talent and hopefully the attitude and substance to back that up. We’ve seen many players not fulfil their potential upon making big claims and wanting to reach the top. If Cooper is to leave, let’s hope that he leaves for a big fee, to a big club, with big add on fees, and that he continues to improve! However, there’s some way to go until that can happen.