Home
Wanderers will not be allowing top goal-scorer Gary Madine to leave the building - a declaration which has been greeted with a mix of celebration and scepticism at the Macron Stadium.
Phil Parkinson discounted the notion of cashing in on his target man this month from its first mention, branding the idea “crazy” – but it did not stop Cardiff City making at least two bids, nor Sunderland and Hull City enquiring about the asking price.
The magic number, if tabloid reports are to be believed, was £6million. Should anyone meet that figure Madine would be the third most expensive sale in Wanderers’ history, behind Nicolas Anelka and Gary Cahill; let that sink in for a moment.
Pie-in-the-sky fees aside, both Parkinson and Ken Anderson fully appreciate how tough it would be at this time of the year to replace a player who has scored nine goals this term and become so integral to the way his side set-up.
Madine has led the line for Parkinson since day one and is now in the best shape since he came to the Macron. His stock has never been higher and, as such, you could understand his advisors wanting to know what interest was out there in the Championship. Should the former Sheffield Wednesday man add “20-goals-a-season” to his CV, the chances are an orderly queue will be forming as he comes into the last year of his Bolton contract with plenty of bargaining power.
Some fans remain unconvinced Madine’s “not for sale” sign means just that, especially as similar sentiments were expressed in the weeks prior to Zach Clough’s departure to Nottingham Forest 12 months ago.
At that point in time the financial quibbling between Anderson and his co-owner Dean Holdsworth was at its peak and being slugged out in the headlines. Both men offer very different accounts on whether the deal was indeed a necessity but the impact of losing Clough at that stage in League One – especially after he was replaced by Adam Le Fondre – would appear nowhere near as risky as it would were Madine to walk through the exit door in the next fortnight.
Though it felt at the time like selling the family silverware, Wanderers’ consequent promotion and the absence of any huge financial dramas in that crucial spell between January and May perhaps vindicate Clough’s sale.
Such unpopular, polarising decisions have been the hallmark of Anderson’s reign as owner and chairman. Should he hold firm this month, and prevent his squad from being weakened, it would send a clear and welcome message of stability which even his detractors would struggle to ignore.
One would argue Parkinson and his staff deserve that stable platform to try and inspire a survival push, having worked under some unusual pressures in his 19 months at Bolton.
Furthermore, the debate over Madine’s paramount importance highlights how important another attacking signing could be for Wanderers in the next couple of weeks. Should Madine succumb to injury - as he did briefly at the end of last season - then Parkinson needs options.
Adam Le Fondre has started to push his claim in the last few weeks but the infrequency of Aaron Wilbraham’s appearances has had an obvious impact on his sharpness.
Connor Hall has also pushed his way on to the fringes of the first team with some excellent displays for the Under-23s but must first prove himself out on loan.
Source
Phil Parkinson discounted the notion of cashing in on his target man this month from its first mention, branding the idea “crazy” – but it did not stop Cardiff City making at least two bids, nor Sunderland and Hull City enquiring about the asking price.
The magic number, if tabloid reports are to be believed, was £6million. Should anyone meet that figure Madine would be the third most expensive sale in Wanderers’ history, behind Nicolas Anelka and Gary Cahill; let that sink in for a moment.
Pie-in-the-sky fees aside, both Parkinson and Ken Anderson fully appreciate how tough it would be at this time of the year to replace a player who has scored nine goals this term and become so integral to the way his side set-up.
Madine has led the line for Parkinson since day one and is now in the best shape since he came to the Macron. His stock has never been higher and, as such, you could understand his advisors wanting to know what interest was out there in the Championship. Should the former Sheffield Wednesday man add “20-goals-a-season” to his CV, the chances are an orderly queue will be forming as he comes into the last year of his Bolton contract with plenty of bargaining power.
Some fans remain unconvinced Madine’s “not for sale” sign means just that, especially as similar sentiments were expressed in the weeks prior to Zach Clough’s departure to Nottingham Forest 12 months ago.
At that point in time the financial quibbling between Anderson and his co-owner Dean Holdsworth was at its peak and being slugged out in the headlines. Both men offer very different accounts on whether the deal was indeed a necessity but the impact of losing Clough at that stage in League One – especially after he was replaced by Adam Le Fondre – would appear nowhere near as risky as it would were Madine to walk through the exit door in the next fortnight.
Though it felt at the time like selling the family silverware, Wanderers’ consequent promotion and the absence of any huge financial dramas in that crucial spell between January and May perhaps vindicate Clough’s sale.
Such unpopular, polarising decisions have been the hallmark of Anderson’s reign as owner and chairman. Should he hold firm this month, and prevent his squad from being weakened, it would send a clear and welcome message of stability which even his detractors would struggle to ignore.
One would argue Parkinson and his staff deserve that stable platform to try and inspire a survival push, having worked under some unusual pressures in his 19 months at Bolton.
Furthermore, the debate over Madine’s paramount importance highlights how important another attacking signing could be for Wanderers in the next couple of weeks. Should Madine succumb to injury - as he did briefly at the end of last season - then Parkinson needs options.
Adam Le Fondre has started to push his claim in the last few weeks but the infrequency of Aaron Wilbraham’s appearances has had an obvious impact on his sharpness.
Connor Hall has also pushed his way on to the fringes of the first team with some excellent displays for the Under-23s but must first prove himself out on loan.
Source