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Strike three! Dougie Freedman makes a pitch for a trio of attacking reinforcements

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wanderlust
karlypants
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karlypants

karlypants
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

Dougie Freedman reckons three more attacking signings are needed before his side can be considered promotion candidates.

With just four days remaining before the season gets going at Watford, the Wanderers boss is still searching for a solution to last term’s goal-scoring problems.

Freedman has not spent a penny in transfer fees this summer bringing in the likes of Dean Moxey, Neil Danns, Liam Feeney, Dorian Dervite and Liam Trotter.

But his attempts to add more attacking options have thus far proved fruitless as the club’s tight financial situation continues to bite hard.

Money is being spent elsewhere in the Championship, with Middlesbrough yesterday adding £1.5million Adam Clayton to their ranks from Huddersfield Town but Freedman insists his side can also be among the front runners if they find a way of funding the right deals.

“If we’re going to make any impact on the top positions, I believe we need to add three attacking options,” he told The Bolton News. “Whether that’s in the loan market or buying them, I’m not quite sure yet.

“One or two teams always spend their millions but at the moment, you’re getting teams like Huddersfield Town or Bournemouth – getting crowds not far off our own – spending big on players too.

“Unfortunately, we’re not able to do that right now. The money was spent in the Premier League.

“But if we work hard, get some attacking players in, then there’s no reason why we can’t punch above our weight.”

Reports yesterday suggested Cardiff City striker Joe Mason was close to agreeing a season-long loan deal to return for a third spell at Wanderers.

The 22-year-old is high on Freedman’s shortlist but sources at the club strenuously deny he will be in place to feature this weekend at Vicarage Road.

Mason is in the process of signing a new contract with Cardiff and is also wanted by a handful of other clubs.

Jermaine Beckford and Craig Davies are the only senior strikers heading into the opening day, although Conor Wilkinson’s rapid improvement could also see him secure a place on the bench.

Competition for the promotion places is likely to be even tougher for the Whites this season, given their own parachute payments have been reduced.

By comparison, recently-relegated clubs such as Fulham have been able to spend big – investing £10million on Scotland international Ross McCormack from Leeds United.

Freedman may well have to utilise the loan market to find the players he needs – but remains confident his side can compete.

“I can’t sit in my office and whinge about Fulham, Norwich or Cardiff spending on players,” he said.

“As a coach I have proved that you don’t always need money, it doesn’t always guarantee success. It can possibly help you get there quicker but I think it can tear things down quicker too if you don’t get it right.

“We’ve used the loan market to good effect but personally I feel loans should only be used in an emergency. I’d prefer to work with a player over time and develop them.

“I keep giving the chairman options and if he can do them, great, if not we’ll move on.”

Source

wanderlust

wanderlust
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

When I saw the title of this thread I thought it was about another target slipping through our hands, but it's just another recycling of what we need and how other clubs are spending when we can't.

Natasha Whittam

Natasha Whittam
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

Has it just hit Dougie today that we need new strikers?

wanderlust

wanderlust
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

Natasha Whittam wrote:Has it just hit Dougie today that we need new strikers?
No - he's been saying it for ages, but nothing has materialised. The article above says he's presented Gartside with options but it's looking like the wallet is firmly shut so no deal has been struck.
I guess we'll never know what the details of the various deals are. When we looked at Barrow the implication was that he'd be a dirt cheap bargain winger/striker - then his agent opened his mouth and suddenly it's £1.5 million with loads of other clubs interested.
Reading between the lines, Dougie has been scouring the planet but every deal seems to fall down because we haven't got the money.

Gartside may end up regretting not just forking out the money for Juke weeks ago - although I saw it was being reported somewhere that Juke went to Burnley for £2.5 million in the end.

Dougie is hanging around the table hoping some scraps fall off.

Norpig

Norpig
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

as soon as we cleared the big earners off the wage bill we should have bought Juke, he wanted to come here and it would have been done and dusted. A very big mistake!

Hipster_Nebula

Hipster_Nebula
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

wanderlust wrote:
Natasha Whittam wrote:Has it just hit Dougie today that we need new strikers?
No - he's been saying it for ages, but nothing has materialised. The article above says he's presented Gartside with options but it's looking like the wallet is firmly shut so no deal has been struck.
I guess we'll never know what the details of the various deals are. When we looked at Barrow the implication was that he'd be a dirt cheap bargain winger/striker - then his agent opened his mouth and suddenly it's £1.5 million with loads of other clubs interested.
Reading between the lines, Dougie has been scouring the planet but every deal seems to fall down because we haven't got the money.

Gartside may end up regretting not just forking out the money for Juke weeks ago - although I saw it was being reported somewhere that Juke went to Burnley for £2.5 million in the end.

Dougie is hanging around the table hoping some scraps fall off.

He doesn't control the money.

Guest


Guest

But Norpig, we know full well why we didn't sign Juke. Boro knew there was interest and set off a bidding war, we can't afford to match Burnley, never mind the fact they could offer Juke Premier League.

That's the problem with loan moves, if they do well we've got no chance.

Natasha Whittam

Natasha Whittam
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

bwfc1874 wrote:

That's the problem with loan moves, if they do well we've got no chance.

Correct! And yet Dougie persists with loan signings. If there really was a long term plan he wouldn't be so reliant on the loan system.

Here's an idea Dougie, I know you don't like old fashioned methods, but why not actually try scouting for good players in the lower leagues that won't cost as much - you know, do your fucking job instead of bleating about a situation you knew about before you signed your fat contract.

Norpig

Norpig
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

bwfc1874 wrote:But Norpig, we know full well why we didn't sign Juke. Boro knew there was interest and set off a bidding war, we can't afford to match Burnley, never mind the fact they could offer Juke Premier League.

That's the problem with loan moves, if they do well we've got no chance.

i may be wrong but i thought the initial price we were quoted was 1.5 million at the end of last season, which i think is also the offer Derby made. This was all before Burnley started sniffing round so it could have been done if we'd
put in an offer.

It's ridiculous that a club with no supposed debt can not afford 1.5 million for a striker when we let go the likes of Eagles, Mears and Knight who's combined wages must have been around 50-60k per week!

Guest


Guest

I agree with you, it is ridiculous but that's the constraints we're working with. We couldn't afford the £1.5 million Derby offered and as sol. A Bunley came in the price went up again!

Bolton Nuts


Admin

Should we read anything into "“I keep giving the chairman options and if he can do them, great, if not we’ll move on.”

Does that mean he has had things lined up and been knocked back?

https://boltonnuts.forumotion.co.uk

wanderlust

wanderlust
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

Biggie wrote:Should we read anything into "“I keep giving the chairman options and if he can do them, great, if not we’ll move on.”

Does that mean he has had things lined up and been knocked back?
That's how I read it.
Which implies that rather than being given a budget, Dougie is having to go to the Board on a case by case basis.
If true that's clearly wrong as the Board's evaluation of a player becomes a factor and they're not qualified to decide.

Natasha Whittam

Natasha Whittam
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

wanderlust wrote:
If true that's clearly wrong as the Board's evaluation of a player becomes a factor and they're not qualified to decide.

Having watched Coyle suggest Sordell was worth £3m and Ngog £4m and then Dougie give Baptiste £25k per week I'm not surprised they don't trust BWFC managers anymore.

wanderlust

wanderlust
Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse

Chris Wood as target man makes every sense if Dougie thought Juke was a good idea, so I'm prepared to believe that's a genuine line of enquiry. Depends on Leicester getting someone else in and Pearson not taking the piss with price - which he will because he's a twat and he knows we're desperate.
Pilkington I'm not so sure about if it's dependent on a swap arrangement involving CYL. Possible if unlikely. Can't see Dougie having the wherewithal to offer any actual money - unless the other deals fall through and if that happens Pilkington would be of less use to us.
Murray - would love him to come to us as he really is predatory and would work well with e.g. Wood but I can't see it happening. I think Mason is more likely despite Cardiff holding us to ransome.
If we got Wood, Pilkington and Mason I would be really impressed given our financial situation.

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