What’s Best for Rogic?

Rogic representing the Socceroos

Tomas Rogic is the hottest of all the hot property currently tearing up the A-League. In what has been a boom year for fresh young Australian talent coming through, Rogic has been the standout performer and many hope he will become the future face of the Socceroos, the way Harry Kewell and Tim Cahill have been.

However there are many questions at the moment about where his future lies and what is best for his development, as well as what is best for Australian football. On one hand, were he to stay in the A-League and continue to lead Central Coast the way he has been, it’s basically the equivalent of their own marquee player. Plus the A-League is trying to grow and some would argue that losing its best talent is not in the best interests of the league itself.

On the other hand, Rogic’s personal development as a player is likely to stall if he doesn’t jump at the chance to move to Europe and play in a higher quality league. Not only that, but if he succeeds in Europe, it will be a great advertisement for the talent coming out of the A-League and increase the league’s overall reputation. This would then encourage better foreign players to consider the A-League and as the league develops, it could even encourage young kids who might have the option of turning pro in more than one sport, to go with football. After all, if you really make it in football, the money and fame and everything else blows almost every other sport out of the water.

For a while there it appeared as though Rogic was on his way to play for struggling English Premier League club Reading. Whilst that sounded great in theory, the concern was that in all likelihood Reading will end up being relegated at the end of the season and after that who knows if and when they will return to the top flight. A few months in a relegation battle for a team heading in the wrong direction is not the best situation for Rogic to choose. Smartly, after some advice from people concerned about Reading’s direction, Rogic decided it wasn’t the move for him. That is a decision I fully support.

It now appears as though Rogic will be joining Scottish powerhouse Celtic, at least during their midseason training camp in Spain. Whether that then turns into an actual transfer is yet to be determined, but I can’t imagine Celtic are inviting him to join them in camp without strongly considering buying him now or signing him in the offseason.

There are pros and cons to joining Celtic. The cons are the fact that the Scottish league is not only not to the same standard as the English top flight, but it’s also a league typically based around physicality rather than skill and it might not help Rogic reach his potential. The pros are that Celtic are also competing in the Champions League, which is an amazing opportunity for Rogic, were he to get playing time in those matches and it’s something he certainly wouldn’t get in England at this stage.

Playing for Celtic was not a bad move for a young Mark Viduka and it also put Viduka in the ‘shopfront’, which eventually paved the way for his transfer to Leeds. Rogic could follow a similar path where after a year or two developing at Celtic, he could then move on to a bigger stage, with a more developed body and game.

But what other options are out there for Rogic?

I’m sure many teams in the promotion hunt in the English Championship would be highly interested in him. Whilst they might presently be a division lower, it might be a smarter idea to join a team on the up, rather than a team like Reading who are likely headed back down. Obviously no team is guaranteed to be promoted, so it carries a risk, but it’s certainly a solid option.

Another option is to head to mainland Europe and not Britain. Not necessarily the bigger leagues like Spain or Italy, as he would likely end up at a club in a similar position to Reading, but rather going to a higher end club in a smaller league. This would be comparable to going to Celtic however it might actually be better in terms of the style of play that could maximise his development. Countries like Romania, Ukraine, Russia or the Scandinavian leagues have become hotbeds for developing talent that eventually move on to the bigger leagues. Many Brazilians are now taking this path and it may not be as popular a choice here in Australia, as we don’t follow those leagues as closely, but for his development it might be the best option.

At the end of the day Rogic will not only consider football factors in making his decision, but I’m sure personal preference towards lifestyle, money and other factors too. But as fans of the A-League and the Socceroos, we all have a vested interest in his development.  Everyone is going to have an opinion on where not only he should go, but also all the other top prospects we are developing in the A-League.

This is a great problem to be facing as a footballing nation, as we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel after our previous golden era of players retire and the next one comes through.