Ezekial Fryers on failed move to Spurs in the summer

[L-man]

We seemed to have signed this guy, even played in our reserves, then all of a sudden ended up at Liege. First thing I've seen about it since.

The man who left behind Man U & Tottenham – to begin again in Belgium


Monday 03 December 2012 11:30


Sports writer Scott Johnson speaks to the 20-year-old fullback who has gone against the tide by swapping the English Premier League for Belgium's Jupiler League...

Forget Michael Owen’s switch to Stoke and Scott Sinclair swapping Swansea’s wing for Manchester City’s bench – the most left-field transfer of the summer involved a Manchester United youngster and failed move to Tottenham.

Having allowed his contract with the Red Devils to expire, left-back Ezekiel Fryers spent the summer training with Spurs, with a view to completing a move to the North London side. However, when compensation proved an insurmountable stumbling block, he was left facing an unexpected move to Belgium.

“United offered a three-year contract but I rejected the offer,” Fryers tellsFourFourTwo. “Spurs were interested but the fee [Manchester United requested] was too much. Then Standard Liege arrived with a good opportunity for me to play regular games and get experience.”

In upping sticks from Old Trafford over the summer, Fryers became the third star of United’s 2011 FA Youth Cup winning side to leave the club within 15 months of that triumph, following Paul Pogba (Juventus) and Ravel Morrison (West Ham) out of the exit door.

“I don’t know the other players’ situations,” Fryers says. “I thought it was the right time for me to leave and get experience playing in good league.”

Fryers hasn't heard from Sir Alex Ferguson since leaving the club, with the United boss believed to be less than pleased at the young defender’s departure.

The 20-year-old started in the Carling Cup victories at Leeds and Aldershot last season, emerging from the bench in a further four games, including a Champions League tie against Otelul Galati. Fryers reflects on this relatively fruitful period as "a great experience", but remains convinced it was the right time to leave the club: “You never know what will happen in football, but I made the right decision for me.”

Ferguson's reaction may have been born of frustration. With Patrice Evra struggling to find consistent form and a shortage of alternatives at left-back, Fryers may have been afforded more first-team opportunities had he stayed. That said, Fryers has his doubts: “I feel the club would have still brought in a left back because there was talk of me and Fabio going on loan.”

United subsequently signed Alexander Buttner from Vitesse, loaning Fabio to Queens Park Rangers.
Since arriving in Liege, Fryers has already matched last season’s appearance count, and is enjoying playing for a new club in a new country.

“For me, every game is more experience. It is a new challenge for me but I think I’m doing well as far as now. The Belgian League is different, but there is a lot of quality. It has developed some great players that are now in the Premier League."

Standard currently sit seventh in a 16-team league, but are intent on climbing the table, ahead of an elaborate play-off phase which begins in March.

“Standard Liege is a top club in Belgium who want to be in the top three every year. We're not doing so well at the moment but are getting better and better. With the play-off system, the end of the season is the most important period.”

With very few young British players willing to experience foreign football cultures, Fryers deserves credit for embarking on his European adventure – one which presents challenges both on and off the pitch.

“It is important to play different styles of football, but it is also a big challenge because you need to adapt to living in another country and to the way they play football,” says Fryers.

Fryers has represented England three times at Under-19 level, but it remains to be seen whether playing overseas will help or hinder his international opportunities. At present, Fryers is content to concentrate on developing and cementing his place in the Standard defence: “My first goal is to grow as a player, not to get international recognition directly.”

Having signed a two-year deal, Fryers intends to remain in Belgium for the foreseeable future, but having come so close to joining Spurs, he knows nothing can be set in stone.

“In football, everything changes very quickly. Today I’m at Standard in the first year of my contract and I want it to be as good as possible. Maybe after that I can go one step higher. Step by step.”

http://fourfourtwo.com/blogs/fourfo...lback-fryers-relishing-belgian-adventure.aspx

 

[Woland]

When United put a 6 mil compensation tag, we caved in.
But the cunning plan emerged to let him play abroad so that we can get Fryers for a fraction of the money a season later - without MUFC pretences, tribunal etc.

 

[Adam456]

Would be interested to know the fee being asked by Manure and whether we offered to go to tribunal. We did that with bostock and paid a fraction of what was being asked (though clearly, with 2 years hindsight, it wasn't worth it)

 

[Adam456]

£6m ? With little but loan spells at lower league clubs ? Do we know where that comes from ?

Belgian thing would be a nice plan but a bit transparent ;-)

 

[kazzah9]

Is he actually any good?

 

[Blake Griffin]

 

[Gedson100]

I thought he was coming in January?

No ITk here but he'll be along soon enough i'm sure

 

[beats1]

Is he actually any good?

He hasnt done well thus far so I found it amazing how people were slating rose and wanted fryers over him, but then again we are on a forum that includes the belief that Kane isn't good enough for league 1

 

[Nocando]

Haha is that really him falling over?

 

[Dangerous_Clive]

Wat

 

[jondesouza]

Haha is that really him falling over?

To be fair, he had been drinking heavily before the start of extra time.

 

[kazzah9]

He hasnt done well thus far so I found it amazing how people were slating rose and wanted fryers over him, but then again we are on a forum that includes the belief that Kane isn't good enough for league 1

Yeah, if Rose can keep up his form for Sunderland then he should be our 2nd left back next season, although he probably won't want to be mostly on the bench.

 

[Spursidol]

Is he actually any good?

Think Fryers had 2 starts plus 4 sub appearances at Man U.

Fryers seems to have made 6 appearances for Standard Liege thios season - had difficulty in getting inti the team at the start - and then had a knee problem in early November and hasn't made an appearance since. Unlikely we would want him in Janmuary (he's less experienced than Rose and a number of other of our development players who aer on the fringes of the Spurs first team squad.
IMO Spurs will watch and see if Fryers lives up to expectations before deciding if we want to buy him next Summer.

But at the moment Rose is doing well at Sunderland as a LB, so if he comes back top Spurs its not apparant why we would want Fyers as well (who will be less experienced than Rose after played a numbver of games in the Premiership).

Spurs might decide (if Fryers looks good in Belgium) to cash in on Rose and get Fryers as he could cover LB and CB (Rose is too short to e a CB) but imo only if the £ difference between selling Rose and buying Fryers nets Spurs a few million. So I wouldn't bet on Fryers being with Spurs in the summer, although its possible

 

[Khilari]

Couldn't we have tried the tribunal malarky we managed with John Bostock?

 

[Spursidol]

Couldn't we have tried the tribunal malarky we managed with John Bostock?

If ManU's valuationn was £6m, tribunal decision likely to be more than Spurs would want to pay for a virtually untried youngster with a big risk he does not succeed.

Remember Spurs got burnt with Bostock at £3700k !

 

[sweyid]

Diving little prick...

I thought he was coming in January?

No ITk here but he'll be along soon enough i'm sure

JJetset said (if I remember it correctly) that he'd be coming here in Jan.

 

[SugarRay]

United have a wy of getting wht they want with the powers tht be in this country. They always used to get work permits for any player, even 12 yr olds from Mongolia where as the rest struggled to get them for internationally capped players!

I imagine if we went to tribunal the fee would have ended up at about £5.995m

 

[michaelden]

Diving little prick...



JJetset said (if I remember it correctly) that he'd be coming here in Jan.

Yip he was gleefully singing he'd be with us in Jan and SAF was done over.

 

[ohwhenthespurs]

How did Liege manage to sign him if the fee was too much for us? Or have I read that article wrong?

 

[faulks]

How did Liege manage to sign him if the fee was too much for us? Or have I read that article wrong?

They are outside of England, don't have to pay any fee. *I think*