When Patrick Roberts spoke to the media a month or so ago, it was to break the news that no Celtic fan wanted to hear but that every single one of us expected to; he told them he wanted to return south, to play for Manchester City, and to see if he had a future there.
That was pretty clear-cut.
Patrick wanted to find out whether he could make it at the Etihad.
In the interim, we’ve learned that Celtic wants him to stay and not just as a loanee. We’ve made a bid that is reported to be around the £7 million mark. The reports suggest that City are happy with that figure, and that the matter is now in the hands of the player.
That made it simple. It still does.
But Patrick Roberts doesn’t sound to me like a guy who’s really leaving. He speaks like a guy who both wants to return and perhaps even expects to. He gave up the chance to go and play with the England Under 20’s in the World Cup to finish the season at Parkhead, and this week he’s given a stonking interview where he makes his feelings plain.
After taking the time to send a message of support to the families of those who’ve died in the Manchester terrorist incident, Patrick spoke with great affection about the Celtic supporters and the way he has been received by them at Parkhead.
“One thing my mum has always said is that you want to be adored by fans,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to get people off their seat, that’s what I enjoy, putting on a show. It is great to hear the fans sing my name and to feel that love is something I could only dream about. Any player will tell you that to get that much love in football is hard to come by these days. Fans like ours have so much love for me – I adore the fans here. I appreciate what they have done for me and makes me play better for them.”
He said, “I have said a few times now that in football you don’t know what is going to happen. I take it day by day and we’ll see how it goes. If you go to a place and you don’t get that love, and every footballer will tell you this, it can be difficult and times can get tough but the love you get here at Celtic is second to none. You won’t get this at most places. I am enjoying being here, the admiration they have given me and I just want to play well for them and make them happy on Saturday.”
None of that means that Roberts will definitely stay; it’s all implicit, rather than explicit.
But the guy gets what the fans are about and what the club is about.
He no longer talks like a guy who thinks the grass is necessarily going to be greener in Manchester.
He talks like a guy who is happy right where he is.