Sykes, from his very first interview RadOx post-match interview, has been a man who wants to progress to the highest level. In that interview, he said (and my memory is lacking for a verbatim quote) that Oxford was a stepping stone or at least he strongly implied it. I remember thinking how alike it was to Joe Rothwell’s Yellow Player interview, when he actually did say we were a stepping stone.
It’s a poor choice of words because it will almost certainly be used against them, but we all have to remember that these guys aren’t fans, it’s their job and we (and the club) have no issue tossing players away it suits us.
The similarities with Rothwell don’t end there. Like Sykes, he was a player that only shone in patches and never really seemed to settle, make a position his own or really hit it off with the fans. I was amazed that he went up a division. He’s done very well at that level and perhaps Sykes will do similarly.
Very few, if any, of us really know the players. We see Sykes’ apparent indifference to the fans as a snub or arrogance but perhaps it’s not that at all. Not every player is a Matty Taylor, Cameron Brannagan or Ryan Ledson.
While I think we’ve played our best football when Sykes has been on the pitch, his likely exit doesn’t represent a major blow, at least not to me. I think we can replace him, but it will cost more than he currently costs us.
Good luck to him.
