Liverpool, Everton, Rangers and Newcastle are chasing Carlisle United wonder kid Matt Jansen, but the striker with magic in his feet is happy to keep playing at Brunton Park - for now.
With his choirboy looks, Matt Jansen looks as though butter wouldn't melt - but behind the angelic features is Carlisle United's smiling assassin. Top scorer at Brunton Park with nine goals so far this season, Jansen has enhanced his reputation as a star of the future. It can be no coincidence that Jansen's recent lean spell, which ended on Tuesday night when he scored the goal in United's surprise victory over Brentford, also resulted in their free-fall into the Division Two relegation zone.
It may be a heavy burden for a youngster to carry - he only turned 20 less than a fortnight ago - but Jansen has handled the step up to regular first team football with remarkable equanimity. His startling progress, in spite of the turmoil surrounding him, will not have been lost on football's cognoscenti who are all keeping an approving eye on Michael Knighton's most saleable asset. Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Rangers and Celtic were among the legion of top clubs that missed out on Jansen's signature when he decided to sign as a YTS player with his local club after leaving the city's Newman School.
The big-names of British football have continued to flock to Brunton Park to watch Jansen, although a hefty price tag on his head will safeguard the club's promise that their young stars will not be sold cheaply. Knighton insists no bids have been made for the talented and versatile youngster, from Wetheral, near Carlisle, who can play as a striker, finger or behind the front two. "He has the talent to play at the highest level," said Knighton recently. "Matt will not go to a club that is not in the Premier League or at the top of the First Division. We will sell if the offer is right and Matt wants to go but we are not looking to sell. We are trying to hang on to him."
Liverpool defender Steve Harkness left Brunton Park for Anfield for a modest £75,000 eight years ago. He was the trailblazer for several of United's home-grown players, who have moved on to bigger clubs including Paul Murray, who joined Queens Park Rangers last year. Harkness believes Jansen is also destined to follow in his footsteps one day. "I have heard a lot about Jansen" said the tough-tackling defender. "Every time I come back home to Carlisle, people are telling me about him. Roy Evans, the gaffer, has watched him. He said Jansen didn't do much on the day but Carlisle weren't very good as a team. But he said it was worthwhile watching and that he was worth another look. He said he was very skillful and had a lot of potential."
Jansen, who caught the eye of young England selectors when he was invited to take part in a three day Under-19 training session last year, would relish the opportunity to test himself at a high level but he insists he is in no rush to leave Carlisle. "I really would like to go to a Premier League club but at the moment my priority is playing well for Carlisle," he said. "I'm not desperate to go at all. When it happens, it happens. I would never leave Carlisle unless it was a Premiership or top First Division team. The chairman tells me about enquiries but I have a three year contract until June 2000 and I will be happy to see that out. If scouts and managers come to watch you it means you are doing well and that gives you confidence and it doesn't worry me that they are there. When you're on the pitch you just forget about it and play your own game. I want to be remembered at Carlisle as a good player. I would want the fans to respect me if I ever went away to another club and then came back to play against Carlisle."
Jansen is personable. He talks intelligently and a smile is never far from his face. The only time it wasn't was during two years of anguish when there were quiet mutterings about his long-term future in the game. Asthma-like breathing problems, which became much worse in the colder weather, prevented him from playing a full 90 minutes and cast a worrying shadow over his promising career. The condition began during his time as a YTS player and energetic runs into opposing penalty areas would leave him gasping for breath. Doctors in Carlisle and leading London specialists, who carried out blood tests and examined his respiratory system, were baffled by the problem.
International track star Tony Jarrett was the unlikely saviour of Jansen's career after his former Carlisle team-mate Darren Edmondson spotted a newspaper story in which the sprinter overcame his own breathing problems. "The article said that Jarrett had problems breathing during sprints and would also feel quite weak which was exactly the same as me," recalled Jansen. "He had had his tonsils out which had cured him so I suggested it to the doctor, who said 'we may as well because we've tried everything else.' It turned out that my tonsils were badly infected and I had tolerated them for a long time. They also removed some cartilage from my nose and both things have really helped."
Until this season Carlisle fans had only seen Jansen's skills and ball tricks in short bursts. Fitter, stronger and with a newfound confidence, he feels he has been given a new lease of life and is developing into a more rounded player. He is also convinced he and his team-mates will manage to halt the crisis on the pitch which has seen Carlisle slump to the bottom of the Second Division. "There were times last season when I would take players on but I wasn't doing a fully professional job like the hard, unseen work, tracking back," said Jansen. "I don't have any more breathing problems. I feel much stronger because I'm playing more and not worrying about it. I haven't played much first team football and with every game I'm getting more experienced and learning something new. I'm still developing and still at the growing stage. We're having a hard time on the pitch but I love playing. I hope we can pick things up and start winning We need to be more consistent because at times we are really good and at other times not so good. The team spirit is fine and I'm sure we can turn things round."
| RIOA Index |
Players | Email the webmaster |