The Wayne Escape

Martin O’Neill has said that Wayne Routledge now has an opportunity to get his career back on track – it’s it’s entirely down to him.

A nominal, no risk fee of £1.5 million has brought us a player who many believed would light up the top league in the Country for years to come when he was a starlet at Crystal Palace.

Things didn’t entirely go his way, well not least in playing and potential terms, but I doubt his bank account has suffered much over the period.

Not even a loan spell at Fulham managed to create much interest in him nor remind Spurs why they signed him to begin with, so Wayne is desperate to get back on track and become the player he should already be.

This desire and hunger was what impressed O’Neill, and has already been said, this is a typical and classic O’Neill signing.

Speaking on the official site, O’Neil said:

‘This gives Wayne a chance to kick-start his career, he has been frozen out at Tottenham. At Crystal Palace he looked a world-beater but he lost his way.

‘This is an opportunity for him. He admitted himself that he was stagnating at Spurs. I hope he comes in and does brilliantly.

‘No promises have been made to him. He has to battle and try and get in the side.

‘I have seen in him a good desire. He could have gone elsewhere; he could have earnt more money somewhere else.

‘But he wanted to come here – that is pleasing and good luck to him.

‘He is genuinely hungry and that impressed me more than anything else.

‘He has seen that other players, at a similar age to himself, have surpassed him while he has been hanging around. It’s now up to him but he has desire.’

If it doesn’t work, we’ve lost absolutely nothing. If it does work, well – could be the second best market move since signing Young.