Thomas Ince wants to stay in the Premier League

Blackpool winger Tom Ince wants to ply his trade in the Premier League in the new campaign

I could not believe what I was reading a few days ago when I read that Blackpool winger Thomas Ince had turned down the advances of the likes of Italian giants Inter and big spending French outfit Monaco.

Apparently the youngster wants to stay in the Premier League.

Ince will become a free agent this summer and wants to test himself in the English top-flight, rather than move abroad this summer.

Turned Down

Ince revealed his decision by telling Sky Sports: “After lengthy discussions with my family I have decided that my immediate future in the game lies in the Premier League,”

“I am flattered to have received such strong interest from several big European clubs. But I believe at this early stage of my career I need to continue my football education in England.

“I would like to thank the clubs overseas for their interest and kindness. I still have ambitions to one day play in Europe. I am now looking forward to what lies ahead next season.”

Premier League

The 22-year-old spent the second half of last season on-loan at Premier League Crystal Palace. However, he struggled to gain a regular first team place with the Eagles. Much was expected from the highly-rated winger, not much arrived.

Palace enjoyed a fantastic end to their campaign, but Ince was a bit-part player at Selhurst Park. After impressing on his debut, the youngster went on to make just eight top-flight appearances for the Eagles and registered just one goal, which came on his debut.

His stint at Palace was supposed to put him in the shop window for a big summer move. He used the Eagles as a vehicle to showcase his supposed talents to other top-flight clubs. It has rather backfired on the youngster, as he failed to make much of an impact with the Eagles.

Free Agent

The fact that Ince will leave Blackpool as a free agent this summer will no doubt work in his favour. A number of top-flight clubs have been credited with an interest in Ince, but as of yet known seemed to have approached the former-Liverpool midfielder.

There will be interest from teams at the lower end of the Premier League and maybe the promoted teams. However, the teams near the top end of the table will likely overlook the youngster, as he is unlikely to be better than anything they already have in their squads.

Potential

Ince does have potential, as he proved in the Championship with Blackpool, but he needs to crawl before he walks. He appears to have talent and prior to the past year appeared to have a good head on his shoulders.

He showed ambition by wanting to test himself in the Premier League, which was admirable. However, he did not make the most of his opportunity. At his next club he needs to prove his worth, or he could be labelled a flop and be yet another potentially talented English youngster who does not fulfil his potential.

A move to a foreign club may well have improved him, as a player and made him more mature as a person, which is maybe what he now needs to fulfil his potential. Ince seems to have talent, but something seems to be missing at the moment.

Linked

Thomas Ince now needs to show his determination to succeed at the top level. Hull City is current favourites to sign Ince with Sky Bet, but it is also believed that Everton boss Roberto Martinez is a fan of the young midfielder.

A move to Hull may well be more suitable for Ince, as he would get another opportunity to impress in the top-flight and probably enjoy playing time with the Tigers. However, a move to a bigger club like Everton may not be prove beneficial to his career, as he would not be guaranteed first team football on Merseyside and may find himself warming the bench.

Improvement

Wherever Ince ends up this summer he has to start fulfilling his potential and his performances need to improve from those he displayed in his limited run-outs at Palace. Ince does have the potential to be a good player, but only if he can display a good mental attitude.

If he does not then he may just end up back in the Championship, wondering what might have been if he had applied himself slightly more.

Is staying in the Premier League the best decision for Thomas Ince?