Jack Rodwell’s football journey from England prospect to Sydney outcast

Explaining the thinking behind his move to Australia in an interview last December, Jack Rodwell professed to have been conflicted before agreeing to sign for Western Sydney Wanderers, the A-League side he had just joined following a two-week spell in quarantine at what was once an insalubrious miners’ camp outside Darwin. While the midfielder felt he had more to offer as a player in England or elsewhere in the European big leagues, the impression was conveyed that a lack of alternative options meant relocating to Australia had to be considered.

The decision to move to Sydney was made easier by the fact that his wife is a local girl who Rodwell had met more than a decade previously while on a pre-season tour with his boyhood club Everton. It was a time in his career when he had already been identified as a future England star and the notion of playing out what appears to be his dotage in the obscurity of the A-League could scarcely have been further from his mind.

“I’m here to win trophies and play in the AFC Champions League,” he told the Athletic. “I’m not coming here to take it easy. I want to be the best player in the league.”

Last week, after scoring three goals in 14 appearances for Wanderers, Rodwell was released at the end of his contract. His former employer released a short, perfunctory statement thanking the 31-year-old for his “contribution to the club”.

It was a considerably greater contribution than he made at his previous club. Signed by Chris Wilder when Sheffield United were still in the Premier League, Rodwell was let go after a disastrous 18-month spell during which he spent just 73 minutes across two appearances on the pitch. A combination of injuries, a spell out with Covid and his inability to force