England seemingly end pursuit of Leeds United and Wales starlet
BUDAÖRS, HUNGARY - 23 MAY 2023: Wales' Charlie Crew during the 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship Group A fixture between Cymru & Poland at the Budaörsi Városi Stadion, Budaörs, Hungry. (Pic by John Smith/FAW)
Wales U21 manager Matty Jones believes England have stopped their pursuit of Leeds United starlet Charlie Crew.
Last month, the youngster wasn’t involved in Jones’ plans for the game against Czechia, and the manager revealed that England were “aggressively pursuing” the Lilywhite.
However, Crew is back in the U21 fold, and Jones revealed that interest from across the Severn Bridge has died down.
“I think it’s ended.
“Through the conversations we’ve had with Charlie, we knew the action plan that we had with him, and he supported that in regard to him spending time with the U19s, and he dominated with his performances.
“He knew he would always get rewarded with that because we’ve made a pathway for Charlie, and we believe in his abilities.
“Having that dialogue with him and his family has hopefully supported him to make the right decision, and he’ll be excited to come in with us on Sunday.”
The squad chosen by Jones for the upcoming qualifiers is a largely familiar one, but there are returns for both Charlie Savage and Joe Low.
Both players were involved in the senior camp last month, and Jones was keen to highlight the familial nature of the Wales setup as a big factor behind the development of both.
“Having Charlie and Joe back shows the unity between the U21s and the senior team, but not only those teams, but it’s all across the age groups.
“We are a family, and as coaches and managers, we have that strong relationship where we’re able to put opportunities in place for players.
“Of course, the transition from the U21s to the senior team is the most important thing, that’s what I view as the pinnacle of my role.
“But at the same time, we’re trying to be successful in this age group, so to see to see players returning from the senior team and having that support from Rob was fantastic.”
Another player who seems to be nearing the peak of his powers at the moment is Rubin Colwill.
Last month, his club manager, Erol Bulut, challenged the forward to improve in certain aspects of his game, and since then, Colwill has shown a lot of improvement, something Jones has been working with him on.
“Rubin has had the luxury from early age groups where he’s been able to dominate from an offensive standpoint.
“His attacking mindset is phenomenal as an individual player. But as we know, when you progress into the higher levels, every minute detail, every moment and every scenario in a game is being scrutinised, and to be successful at the top, you need to improve and develop those sides of your game.
“My place is to help Rubin and show him those details and explain to him as a developmental minded coach what needs to happen. That’s certainly helped him and allowed him to express himself. He’s gone back to Cardiff, and he’s shown that, and his level of confidence in training hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“It’s so pleasing to see that from Rubin. He’s taking more interest in areas of his game that he may have neglected previously, and Cardiff are repaying him for that.”
This month sees Wales play their first two home games of their European Championship qualifying campaign, as they take on Iceland and Denmark at Rodney Parade.
Wales are unbeaten so far in the group, having beaten Lithuania and drawn with both the Danes and Czechia.
Despite their good run, Jones knows the context of the games will change now they’re on home soil.
“This is where the dynamic changes now for the players. The onus is on us to take performances to teams.
“We’ve played against higher ranked teams throughout the campaign, and it’s been challenging and difficult. But it’s allowed us to showcase our robustness and resilience in our approach.
“But it slightly changes when you’re at home. The responsibility is for us to be creative and to take the game to Iceland and Denmark. The challenge awaits, and I’m sure the players are prepared for it.”
WALES U21 SQUAD TO PLAY ICELAND AND DENMARK
Ed Beach (Chelsea), Evan Watts (Swansea City), Ronnie Hollingshead (West Brom)
Matt Baker (Newport County), Joe Low (Wycombe Wanderers), Owen Bevan (Cheltenham Town), Jay Williams (Fulham), Zac Ashworth (Bolton Wanderers), Owen Beck (Dundee), Fin Stevens (Oxford United)
Eli King (Morecambe), Joel Cotterill (Stockport County), Charlie Crew (Leeds United), Charlie Savage (Reading), Oli Hammond (Cheltenham Town), Cameron Congreve (Swansea City), Rubin Colwill (Cardiff City)
Luke Harris (Fulham), Tom Hill (Liverpool), Josh Thomas (Port Vale), Joe Taylor (Colchester United), Chris Popov (Leicester City), Cian Ashford (Cardiff City)
