Stoke want to keep Shawcross at the Britannia Stadium.
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Stoke are ready to hand alleged Man United and Tottenham target Ryan Shawcross a new six-year deal to ward off interest from the Premier League giants, reports the Daily Mirror.
“Ryan is an important player for us and we want to keep him and make him secure,” said Potters chairman Peter Coates. “You try to look after your assets.
“He has developed his career at this football club and we want him to stay, so it’s up to us to find a way of keeping him.”
Noble sentiments. But are United and Spurs really interested in the 25-year-old?
It seems unlikely.
Although Shawcross has been called up to the last two England squads, essentially as a replacement for the retired John Terry, both United and Tottenham boast better young (and English options) at centre-half already.
One, if not both, of the Red Devils’ duo of Phil Jones and Chris Smalling will surely help to displace Shawcross in the England set-up when they return to fitness, while Spurs youngster Steven Caulker has also made the senior squad at the tender age of 20.
Of course, being a good player has no direct correlation to your place in the England squad, as the finally-recognised Leon Osman will tell you.
The point is, rather, that now that Shawcross has gained international recognition, there is an assumption that suddenly he is a far better player than last season and is coveted by the Premier League big-boys, which is nonsense.
United and Spurs have both had their defensive woes so far this term but both have better options at centre-half that Shawcross, whose price is likely to be grossly inflated anyway on account of his nationality.
Coates should sleep easy at night. Don’t expect this deal to happen.
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