Most people have seen Trent’s departure coming all season, so this just confirms the inevitable. Some of his performances this year have only reinforced the feeling that he is not worth £300k a week or the vice-captaincy. While it is still a significant loss, it is one we can manage with the right recruitment. If we can bring in a solid right-back on around £120k a week, the savings on wages alone would comfortably help cover a transfer fee compared to the contract Trent has turned down.
It is all about balance. If we go for someone like Kerkez and have a flying left-back constantly pushing up and down the pitch, we might need a more defensively minded right-back than we are used to. Whoever comes in, there has to be some recognition that Konaté and Gravenberch should not have to cover as much ground as they have during the Trent era.
I have said it before, there will be plenty of times we miss him, but I am far more concerned about finding a reliable goalscorer than replacing Trent. We know we have real quality in Bradley. Yes, there are injuries to consider, but they could just be part of his adaptation to the demands of senior football, which he will hopefully push through. We have seen that happen plenty of times before.
I played a lot of rugby between the ages of six and seventeen, and when I stepped up to the senior game, I spent three or four seasons picking up big injuries because every hit was fifty percent harder and sometimes one hundred and fifty percent harder. My body just was not prepared for it without further conditioning. Football is not as physical, but the principle is the same as it takes time to adapt. Bradley had a year at Bolton, which has helped, but the jump from the lower leagues to the Premier League is another level entirely. Even Slot has said the two biggest differences between Dutch football and the Premier League are one the finishing ability and the physical demands and athleticism of the players. We already know Jota’s body cannot cope with the demands of the game, but it is too soon to put Bradley in that same category. Let us see how he gets on next season, but a summer of conditioning should do him a world of good and hopefully we will see the results.