Wordsworth urged not to rush into move away from U's (From Essex County Standard)

Wordsworth urged not to rush into move away from U's

1:31pm Thursday 24th May 2012 in Sport By Jonathan Waldron

Prize asset - Colchester United's Anthony Wordsworth has attracted the attention of bigger clubs.

Anthony Wordsworth should not rush into a move away from Colchester United this summer.

That is the view of former U’s attacker Perry Groves, who feels the cultured midfielder must think carefully about his next move.

Wordsworth finished the 2011-12 season as Colchester’s leading goalscorer with 13 goals and was the U’s Players’ Player of the Year.

The 23-year-old, who has a year remaining on his current deal, has insisted he is not thinking about a move away from the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

But he has been linked with a number of Championship clubs and was the subject of a failed bid by League One side Bournemouth, in January.

Groves - who quit Colchester for Arsenal in 1986 having progressed through the youth ranks at Layer Road - believes if Wordsworth is to move on, it has to be right for both him and the U’s.

Groves said: “If you’re going to leave the club, you have to make sure that you do it the right way.

“Colchester have been good for Anthony but he has been good for them, too.

“He’s learnt his trade there and come through the youth system.

“It’s important you don’t create any tension and it would be a case of saying “I’m really grateful for what you’ve done but now I want to go and test myself”.

“Anthony gets a good move, Colchester will get the right transfer fee for him which they can then invest that into the team and everyone wins.

“John Ward would not begrudge a young player going on to better himself, as long as it’s done in the right way.

“As a player, you want to be play at the highest level that you possibly can.

“He’s played 100 league games for Colchester and he has that experience under his belt now.

“At 23, you are regarded as more of a senior player and a goalscoring midfielder like Anthony is worth his weight in gold.”

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