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Jack Butland: Lee Clark says keeper can be Europe's best

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments103

Butland denies Suarez for Team GB

Birmingham boss Lee Clark believes Jack Butland could become Europe's best keeper following his move to Stoke.

England international Butland, 19, made a move to the Potters on deadline day, but has returned to Blues on loan for the rest of the season.

"We've lost in terms of the long term, in my opinion, the best goalkeeper in Europe," Clark told BBC WM.

"We've got him back for the rest of the season, but I would just love a bit more time to work with him."

Butland was heavily linked with a move away from the financially stricken Championship side throughout the January transfer window.

One of the clubs that were interested in Butland was Chelsea, but the keeper instead opted to sign a four-and-a-half-year contract at the Britannia Stadium - worth a potential £3.5m for Blues - where he felt first-team football was more likely.

"I thought it was unbelievable maturity from the boy not to pursue that one [Chelsea] because in the short term he didn't see a route into the first team," Clark said.

"That's unbelievable. I think many young players would have jumped at that for the profile and financial rewards.

"But Jack looks at the bigger picture. He's not only a top player but he's a top young guy.

"It's easy to be a top player, but what he's shown over this transfer window is that he's unbelievably mature and got a great awareness of what life's about."

The keeper played for Great Britain at the Olympics and made his England debut in the 2-1 win over Italy in August.

And Clark added: "He knows eventually he's going to be at a top club, and that's not disrespectful to Stoke who are a great Premier League club and have a fantastic manager, but ultimately he's going to end up at a Champions League club competing for the higher honours."

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103 comments

  • Comment posted by None Of The Above, at 15:25 1 Feb 2013

    What was the name of the stadium he made his England debut in again?
    My eyesight's not great, so can we have it in really big letters, please?

  • Comment posted by Colonel Johnson, at 15:26 1 Feb 2013

    Good for him, not going to chelsea. He would have got no matches, just like Sinclair and Rodwell at Man City.

  • Comment posted by deaduncleted, at 15:21 1 Feb 2013

    Proof that not all footballers are complete idiots. Interesting comparison with Odemwinge

  • Comment posted by User0444480512, at 15:45 1 Feb 2013

    @ 5.Tobyque - perhaps none of those clubs you mentioned were in for him. Or perhaps they didn't meet the value Birmingham quoted. Personally, I think the lad should be congratulated for not going to Chelsea and chooosing a team where he could become the number 1 keeper next season. And, on top of that, agreeing to stay with Birmingham for the remainder of this season. Well done Jack!!

  • Comment posted by Duncan, at 15:42 1 Feb 2013

    I wish him all the very best, but he's not as reliable as Fraser Forster was at 19/20 & looks no better than Foster, Kirland, et al (& they're just English rivals).

    Respect for choosing 1st team football but if he's the next great thing he wouldn't, with the greatest respect to Stoke City, be accepting 2nd best.

    It's his nationality rather than his talent which is the basis for this prediction.

  • Comment posted by Aidan, at 15:52 1 Feb 2013

    Very few footballers come out with any credit in the transfer market so well done Jack and good luck for the rest of your career.

  • Comment posted by Marantz, at 17:01 1 Feb 2013

    De Gea is being mentioned because of the potential knock-on effects of Butland's move...as per the "Begovic to Man Utd" rumours.

    Particularly given Butland's words that he wants to be no.1. If he rejected a move to Chelsea on that basis, then it's perfectly reasonable to assume that he will be no.1 at Stoke.

    So where next for Begovic? OT? If so, what happens to De Gea?

    Capiche!?

  • Comment posted by User0294059045, at 00:03 2 Feb 2013

    Robinson, Green, Kirkland, Foster, Carson... all hyped up as the next best thing, but ultimately disappointing. Joe Hart looks like he might go the same way. The fact that Butland is i) 19 yrs old and ii) playing in the Championship and still getting called up for England tells me more about the dearth of top class English keepers than it does anything about his ability.

  • Comment posted by Monster Munch, at 19:30 1 Feb 2013

    I have seen hundreds of players in my years of watching football, some were already household names, the likes of Dalglish, Brady, Romario, Henry and Gascoigne. I feel privelaged to have already seen Butland play and believe that he can go on to challenge Hart for the number one jersey with England, possibly joining the legends already mentioned. A good choice going to Stoke, they will love him.

  • Comment posted by whatyousay, at 19:53 1 Feb 2013

    This kid is good. He will give Hart a god run in for the England number 1 spot for keepers. But it will be same old story, may have one of the best keepers in Europe but nothing doing much when teams like Spain and Germany are the big players at international level in Europe

  • Comment posted by User0999683409, at 20:27 1 Feb 2013

    With the exception of Forster, Hart will have no competition for the england no1 jersey for years to come. Thats coming from a gers fan

  • Comment posted by U15059924, at 14:28 2 Feb 2013

    Considering he is English and only cost £3.5m I'd say this is all hype.

    Zaha (same age) went for £15m. Is Zaha going to be 'the best in Europe'?

    Too many column inches are given to this kind of mindless drivel. These people are selling something. They are hardly going to say its very ordinary.

  • Comment posted by Y0U, at 17:11 1 Feb 2013

    Some said similar things about Chris Kirkland. I hope for Jack's sake he has more luck and less trouble with injuries.

    England did have a history of producing top class goalkeepers, Shilton, Clemence, Banks, Seaman, amongst others. Hart is a great keeper but internationally can be a bit clumsy at times, in the same way David 'Calamity' James was.

  • Comment posted by D1679272684917, at 19:21 1 Feb 2013

    Noo chance not now he signed for stoke I recall the media saying similar things about Robert green,Ben foster ect

  • Comment posted by Christopher R Brown, at 19:07 1 Feb 2013

    As a former treasurer and player of Clevedon United (and as anyone who is involved with finances at minor league clubs knows...they are never good) may I use this forum to ask the Board at Birmingham City to ensure that Clevedon United receive a proportion of the profit they made on this deal. Seems only fair?

  • Comment posted by Vox Populi, at 15:46 1 Feb 2013

    I take this as a pinch of salt- British keepers seem to get much better press than their foreign counterparts. Their mistakes are glossed over while foreign keepers get tougher scrutiny. I speak generally- Butland has by all accounts been excellent for Birmingham this season, but I don't buy the 'best in Europe' opinions.England hasn't produced the very best keepers since the Shilton/Clemence era.

  • Comment posted by maccaynwa, at 15:56 1 Feb 2013

    @13
    I really don't think he is actually a LFC fan.

    Think Butland is class and I really wished that Liverpool had gone in for him to replace Reina at end of the season but I'm glad he's decided to go for the football and not money

  • Comment posted by User0184442512, at 17:47 1 Feb 2013

    @ AD84

    The point is that he has great potential, he is no where near the finished article but has shown enough talent to attract the interest of Premier League clubs. Not forgetting how terrible Birmingham have been this season and he represents his country at his respective level.

  • Comment posted by mikeb, at 20:40 1 Feb 2013

    What a joy to see a home grown real English lad getting his chance at the top not forgetting the plaudits he's earned along the way, rather than hearing of some one with an unpronounceable name who comes from an un known country who seemingly is plucked out of the air (for about 10 million)plays well for ten games,sulks over money and demands a transfer before fading into oblivion!

  • Comment posted by UnderDefeat, at 15:50 1 Feb 2013

    Hopefully not another Steve Simonson case of a keeper hyped up then left to rot in the reserves for too long.

    Promising younger keepers are probably best sent out on loan to lower league sides to get match experience.

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