Knight likely to stay on - ILES

MATT Mills looks set to become a Wanderers player this summer even if Zat Knight commits his future to the club.

The Leicester City defender has indicated he wants to quit the King Power Stadium but was expected to be a fall-back option if Knight turned down the deal currently on the table for him.

Wanderers are still waiting for a firm answer from the 32-year-old but it is rumoured within the club that the big centre half is willing to stay on for another season.

Even so, the gears are in motion to sign Mills and a firm offer is expected to be made before the end of the week.

Reports in Scotland claim Celtic have been told to stump up £3million to sign the one-time Manchester City man, but the Whites are confident of landing him for a fraction of that cost.

It is understood their opening gambit will be £1.5million – less than a third of the fee paid by Leicester to Reading 12 months ago.

Mills is keen to leave after falling out with manager Nigel Pearson last season and did not play a game in the Championship after February.

Celtic have already seen a part-exchange offer turned down for the 25-year-old and have also enquired about a season-long loan.

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Sluffy wrote:

Wanderers are still waiting for a firm answer from the 32-year-old but it is rumoured within the club that the big centre half is willing to stay on for another season.

It makes me so angry to think that Knight is holding the club to ransom. Grow a pair Coyle and get rid.

Absolutely shocking.

hes just waiting to see if a bigger and better bid comes in for him... twat!

Sorry the first deadline passed 2 weeks ago and the last deadline passed last week - why are we still talking about him staying. Deadlines have passed, he's missed his chance, get rid and forget about him now.

Either way, I just don't want Knightmare at Bolton!

bwfc71 wrote:Sorry the first deadline passed 2 weeks ago and the last deadline passed last week - why are we still talking about him staying. Deadlines have passed, he's missed his chance, get rid and forget about him now.

Either way, I just don't want Knightmare at Bolton!

Sounds like hes got us bent over a barrel...

he knows we have to offer him big money to stay as his 'replacement' will cost us a good couple million...

hes in a win-win situation.

but i agree...

im not arsed about him staying and if coyle really does want him to stay, cut to the chase...put him in a room with 2 exits, his agent, a pen and a FINAL - not open to discussion contract offer...

he either signs it and comes back out... or takes the other door.

The BEN has just reported that Knight is staying for another season. I must be alone in thinking this is good news. I think he'll do well in the Championship. . But we still need more support at centre back

Well im pissed off...

This is a case of 10 steps back, and then another 5 back.

ZAT Knight is to extend his stay at the Reebok next season, The Bolton News understands.

The big defender had been mulling over his future on holiday in America over the last few weeks but has now indicated that he will remain with the club into a fourth campaign.

Knight has played in the Premier League consistently since breaking through at Fulham over a decade ago and had been tipped to join the growing band of former Wanderers players at West Ham United under Sam Allardyce.

But the 32-year-old has instead decided to stay and fight for the first team place he lost under Owen Coyle in February after the arrival of US international Tim Ream.

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Baffling, absolutely baffling, i will be interested to know why Coyle has chosen to keep a player he so clearly doesn't rate.

the only hope is that the step down will aid him.

Are you talking about Knight, Coyle or both of them!









(I know the answer really).

The real issue is whether Coyle signs Mills- if he does Knight will be third choice,and when Wheatear returns he'll be fourth choice.

He's good enough for that- every team carries players who are a bit lacking. It's not the Premiership any more. We're down amongst poorer teams and players- and I bet Knight will more than hold his own against the poorer strikers we'll come up against.

I'm not so sure he will.

His problem is not that he isn't a good defender - he can be very good at times, but he switches off during a game, and that can be several times on occasions too.

Give any forward enough chances and sooner or later he will score - you just know with Knight that sooner or later in a game he will mentally go to sleep and that the opposition strikers will get a chance that most other defenders even at Championship level would not have allowed them.

I disagree, the problem is most certainly that he's not a good defender.

I've said before, but he is a good tackler and header (long ball) of the ball but 99% of the time after winning the ball he will either smash it into the corner or put it out of play, with time and space to pick a pass.

But i agree he's also prone to them brain neutral lapses of concentration which always costs us 2 or 3 goals a season, often costly.

It's indifferent news to me, neither good nor bad. We're short on central defenders, he's an average central defender, we are going to need a squad system with all these games, there's no fee, if he gets a chance in the team and keeps it on merit, there's no problem with that. Coyle has dropped him in the past and if he is poor he will drop him again. When Cahill was out for months with that blood clot, Knight was fantastic.

Of course I've no idea what goes on behind the scenes but Coyle doesn't appear to be handling this whole in/out thing very effectively. But mustn't get a bad attitude. Blimey, it's only June.



Thinking positively. I surprised at how much I'm looking forward to the big kick-off. I didn't expect to be feeling this way. This time 12 months ago I had quite a different feeling I seem to remember.



Hat, you say that if Knight (or anyone) is playing badly Coyle will drop them. If only he would. Look at the number of games Robinson played last season when it was obvious to everyone that he was out of his depth. Knight too was being picked when he was playing badly, which is most of the time, he get' on the wrong side of his man too often i.e. in front of him, not behind. I don't think I've ever seen a comment I disagree with more than your's saying that Knight was fantastic.

I've said before that Knight gets an unfair amount of abuse. He was one of many donkeys on the team last season. And did not contribute to relegation anymore than most of the others. Let's give him a chance in the Championship ....no booing for example.

Which game was it when after we had just been whipped about 4-0 he was seen walking off at the end with his mate (from the other side) laughing and joking?

Fulham away. I don't see why fans are bothered by things like that, footballers have a tendency to be friends with their ex-colleagues before and after the whistle.