Not so long ago the name Jack Rodwell would have been circled and underlined multiple times as it sat proudly on top of many transfer shortlists. However, as season after season was curtailed by injury he slowly faded from the print of gossip columns, which is why his move to Manchester City caught many by surprise. Was this a case of Everton trying desperately to balance their books? Had David Moyes lost faith in his precocious talent? Or did Roberto Mancini fear he would spontaneously combust if he didn’t spend more of the many millions at his disposal?

The initial reaction to this transfer seems to be one of ridicule, with many criticising Mancini’s decision to purchase a player with a similar medical history to Owen Hargreaves. Everton chairman Bill Kenwright came under fire for again allowing the sale of a promising youngster whilst a wise crack about Rodwell ‘retiring’ from first-team football spread like wildfire on Twitter. However, dwell on this transfer deal for more than a minute and you’ll soon realise that it benefits all parties involved.

The best aspect about this transfer is the fact that it isn’t built on false promises. Mancini has already stated that Rodwell will have to improve considerably before he is competing consistently for a first-team place whilst the player himself insisted, "the hard work starts today.” This is a move fuelled not by greed but by ambition, perhaps forced upon him by the club but nevertheless he appears determined to silence any doubters.

"I relish the opportunity of playing with some of the best players in the world and continuing my development. I look forward to working with Mr Mancini and his coaching staff and ultimately playing in front of the City fans at the Etihad Stadium.” (mcfc.co.uk) 

Everton have already lost key players during the summer, with veteran talisman Tim Cahill hopping across the pond and underrated centre-back Joseph Yobo finally sealing a move to Fenerbache. The loss of Rodwell will inevitably hurt the most, a popular figure on the terraces that never had a prolonged injury free spell in order to fulfil his potential. Moyes is once again the victim of his own success having continued to succeed despite being forced to sell before he can strengthen but perhaps Rodwell’s departure will mean other vital players like Leighton Baines can remain at Goodison.

Where does this leave Rodwell? What convinced Mancini to spend such a sizeable sum on another midfielder? The former Evertonian was long thought to be on Sir Alex Ferguson’s radar so dare I suggest this is another element to Mancini’s mind games. I personally believe it runs deeper than that, with the Italian identifying that Rodwell could become a key player for Manchester City should one particular player pick up an injury.

Rodwell doesn’t have the brute strength to displace Barry or De Jong as the holding midfielder, he doesn’t have the capability to play out wide like Adam Johnson or Milner and neither does he possess the creative flair to compete alongside Nasri or Silva. Who are we missing? Yaya Toure, one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the league and someone I believe Mancini hopes Rodwell can learn from and one day emulate.

Whenever I have had the pleasure of watching Rodwell play, he has always struck me as a complete midfielder, blessed with the technique and tenacity to pull the strings in the centre of the pitch. He reminded me of Gareth Barry under Martin O’Neill during their successful time together at Aston Villa. Last year, despite making just 14 appearances, he ended the season as Everton’s best passer with an accuracy of 87%, with 75% precision in the final third. As we already know, like many teams across the continent Mancini adores his possession football tactics, a style of play that Rodwell should slip seamlessly into.

Rodwell, now 21-years-old spent the majority of last season as the poster boy for Team GB before an inevitable injury cost him his place in Stuart Pearce’s Olympic squad. His omission could be a blessing in disguise given that the competition served only to demoralise a nation further on the international stage. It has however enabled him to have a full pre-season with Everton and in turn prompted Roy Hodgson to call him up to the senior England squad for the friendly against Italy.

A taste of first-team football on Wednesday could well prove to be the exact kind of inspiration he needs to make a success of himself in Manchester. He may not play week in week out – when has he ever? – but there are few better ‘squad players’ teams in the Premier League can call upon, than an eager to impress Jack Rodwell.

Join me on Twitter @theunusedsub where I’m currently laughing at Martin Jol’s *reported* plans to bid £3m for David N’Gog. 

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