Bye-bye Burstow

The news that we had captured the midfield dynamo Scott Fraser from Ipswich at the close of the transfer window was offset by the disappointing news that 18 year-old Mason Burstow was off to Chelsea. It's often the way but unlike some of our more obvious 'decoy' signings of recent years, Fraser is at least someone we can really expect to get value from and who is capable of leading a midfield charge for promotion out of this dreaded league. Time may prove he was a far better signing than Charlie Kirk who has gone to Blackpool and even Mason Burstow who will now need to prove himself at a number of other clubs before there is any chance of him playing for the current European Champions.

Understandably, Mason Burstow's departure has caused a stir amongst Addicks fans. It rattles the hornet nest of being a selling club and one that has long seen a host of home-grown talent sold on prematurely. Burstow wasn't properly home-grown, of course, having started out at Welling and Maidstone before we acquired him two season's ago but he's young and has genuine promise.

There was great hope for him when he burst into the first team with a goal with his first touch in the EFL Trophy game against Crawley Town. He made seven league appearances and a handful of cup outings scoring two league goals and several in the cup. If we are being brutally honest, he still looked like an inexperienced 18 year old who was struggling to make his mark, but crucially he kept putting the ball in the net. I have absolutely no doubt more goals would come and I am sure they will, whoever he plays for. 

I am told he wasn't angling for a move or even desperate to join Chelsea and I believe that. However, the big step up as well as money and ambition would obviously have been attractive, and he knows he will have to make his name as a Chelsea loanee. I am also told he pushed to continue with us on loan this season and I believe that too - why wouldn't he if he had a say? 

Some fans are suggesting they would rather we hadn't taken him on back on loan but imagine the stick Sandgaard would have taken if we hadn't secured his services and Washington or Aneke got crocked?It would have been as cavalier as starting the season without a partial squad and gaps in the first eleven. Stockley already looks like a more serious injury than the club have let on and Conor and Chuks have season tickets to the treatment room. 

Kanu may be following quickly in Burstow's footsteps and may also get a chance before the end of the season as we will soon have little to play for mathematically but having Burstow on call is a good thing in my mind. Who knows, he could even be with us next season if it works for him and us.

The stickier issues for the Club are the fee and the timing. News around Chelsea's interest emerged fully a week ago and Burstow actually gave his shirt to a fan straight after the last home game, which set the gossips racing. There are suggestions too, that we asked for Burstow back on loan or that Chelsea agreed to delaying confirmation of the deal until late yesterday, so we could say there was no time to source a replacement to help minimise rancour at the deal. Brentford and Leicester were also mentioned in a 'bidding war' but this looks superficial at best.

The fee has yet to be revealed and speculation fills the undisclosed void. I have heard £4m mentioned as well as £2m to £2.5m. Both could be true of course with add-ons and either could be wide of the mark, although £2.5m sounds about right to me. Sandgaard did say that we had rejected a Chelsea offer early yesterday and then suggested, somewhat unconvincingly, that we would wait to get what we wanted even if it took a season or two. It appears to have only take a few hours which suggests to me that the deal was already done and he was helping build the 'last minute' case if it were needed. 

The social media furore and hullabaloo about individuals leaving Valley Gold because of Burstow's departure is disappointing to see. You can understand the linkage but we also have to be realistic about the opportunity to make money from promising youngsters versus their likely value-add from playing for us. Nobody wants to see them all sold so early but the fact is they aren't, as Albie Morgan demonstrated so effectively last night. Some will play for the badge and others will pay for it - hopefully the balance is maintained so we get the best of both worlds. A time may come when holding onto talented players is easier for us in a higher division when our finances are much stronger, in the meantime we are an ordinary League One side who need the money and can't expect youngsters to reject the chance of a lifetime.