📝 George Abbott...signs for season long loan

[Elite_Pie]

Article on the BBC website about George by Adam Hassell:

I would not be surprised to see George Abbott go to the very top.

His ability to read the game, pick a pass and generally just know where to be is already above League Two level, and he is firmly one of the first names on the teamsheet now at Notts County.

When he first arrived at Meadow Lane, Abbott was forced to play in a wing-back role and he got his first professional assist from this position when putting a delightful right-wing cross in away at Chesterfield in October.

Credit to him for being versatile and adapting very quickly to a new position in a new team. But, in recent weeks he has been used as a box-to-box midfielder in the middle of the park, and he covers every blade of grass on the pitch twice over.

The only thing missing from his stint in Nottinghamshire so far is a first professional goal, something he hopes is near and something he says himself is getting "closer and closer".

If he can add some goals to his game then he will certainly be an all-round midfielder and one to watch for the future, maybe even in a Tottenham shirt.

Recently, Notts fans have even been saying Abbott is better at the Magpies than Ryan Yates and Jack Grealish were in their respective loans at Meadow Lane.

From the conversations I have had with him, he seems a confident and grounded young man, with a mentality that matches his undoubted ability on the pitch. We are certainly enjoying watching his performances blossom at Notts County.

If only we could have a sell-on fee!

[jacobncfc]

Am I the only one who thinks that is wildly over the top? I like Abbott, he?s a tidy footballer who is decent on the ball and holding his own in League Two, but I wouldn?t say he stands out in anything like the way Yates, Grealish, McGregor (or even Jorge Grant) did.

[SmiffyPie]

Am I the only one who thinks that is wildly over the top? I like Abbott, he?s a tidy footballer who is decent on the ball and holding his own in League Two, but I wouldn?t say he stands out in anything like the way Yates, Grealish, McGregor (or even Jorge Grant) did.

Got to agree with that. George is a good player but as of yet not head and shoulders and certainly not a match to the hype of the article.

[upthemaggies]

Got to agree with that. George is a good player but as of yet not head and shoulders and certainly not a match to the hype of the article.

Recency bias applies to everything in football. When things are going well the manager "is the next Jimmy Sirrel", we've got the best owners ever, the loudest fans, never seen so many new young supporters etc. etc. When it's going bad, Sirrel would "turn in his grave", players not fit to wear the shirt, worst atmosphere ever, an ageing fanbase that's dying out.... and so on.

You need the perspective of at least 5 years to make fair comparisons and to put it all into proper context.

[the_anticlough]

Yes, they can't get past the "Tottenham'' part of it.

An example that comes to mind is Tom Cleverley, because he came up from Man Utd youth he got picked for England (fell way short), then got a contract at Everton, before soon after finding his real level at Watford in the Championship.

You can never be sure, but my take is that George is definitely NOT a L2 player. But not necessarily a Premiership player either, I'd say no worse than a really a good Championship player in a couple of years' time. That means we're lucky to have him now, and why, based on his all round game, he's by the far the best of the central midfielders we have. MP, Robbo, Hinchy won't be threatening the Championship any time soon.