Bolton could cash-in on Luca Connell

WANDERERS are getting ready to make a difficult decision on their highly-rated youngster Luca Connell.
As reported by The Bolton News last week, Phil Parkinson has liaised with the club’s administrators to assess what contract options exist in the current squad.
With little resale value among the eight senior players contracted to next season it is expected that cashing in on sought-after academy graduates like Connell and Ronan Darcy could be the only way Wanderers can raise quick funds.

The list of sides eyeing Connell in recent weeks has grown considerably, with Norwich City, Wolves, Tottenham and Leeds United all linked with a move for the Republic of Ireland youth international.
He has been with the academy for 10 years and had indicated he was willing to stay on next season under new ownership despite relegation to League One.

Connell’s contract is up next month but the club would be due around £300,000 in training compensation should he sign for another English club. A quicker deal could also be agreed with a transfer fee up front should administrators need to boost cashflow.


Meanwhile, sources at Bolton and Everton have played down reports that the Premier League club has looked to fund a week’s worth of salary for staff amid the current financial problems.
A successful food bank collection was staged at Burnden Park and Middlesbrook Asda on Saturday to bring in vital essentials for those who are waiting for pay – which was backed by fans’ groups from several local clubs, including the two Merseyside giants.

A spokesperson for Wanderers’ staff told The Bolton News yesterday: “We are getting a lot of support from fans, businesses, the community and others within football which has truly humbled us and that we gratefully appreciate.”

A fundraising walk has also been scheduled on Saturday, from Burnden Park to the UniBol, starting at 2pm.
Organiser, Matty Lawrenson told The Bolton News: “We are doing it for the staff that are the heartbeat of this club to show them that we support them in these hard times.

“We want to show everyone that we are all together.”
For more information and to register your interest, visit the BWFCandProud Facebook page.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/17650516.bolton-could-cash-in-on-norwich-leeds-and-spurs-target-luca-connell/?ref=mr&lp=2

Wow cashing in for 300k that's fantastic.

I was expecting a gobstopper and a dead Goldfish. Were really flying high with £300k (not)

For that kind of money it's worth keeping him and the other lad if they want to stay. They will at least get more chance to play first team games with us then being buried in a higher up clubs academy.

Just seen this morning that Connell, Darcy and 2 other young lads have signed another years scholarship deal which is the first good news i've heard about BWFC in a long time

Bolton Wanderers have taken up the option of a third year on the scholarships of Luca Connell, Ronan Darcy, Jordan Boon and Eddie Brown.

Connell and Darcy made their respective first team debuts during the course of the 2018/19 campaign, with the pair having been on the books of the club since the age of eight.

Boon and Brown meanwhile have been key figures for the club’s Under-23 and Under-18 sides in recent seasons.

https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/2019/may/option-taken-up-on-third-year-scholarship-extensions-for-trio/

Good to see that some players have faith in the future of the club. Well done lads.

WANDERERS have looked to ward off interest in midfielder Luca Connell as he got a first international call-up by Ireland.
The 18-year-old was picked in Mick McCarthy’s squad for the first time yesterday for forthcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against Denmark and Gibraltar.
Tottenham, Leeds United and Norwich City have been hot on his trail in the last few weeks but The Bolton News understands Bolton have strengthened their position by tying him down for a third year on his scholarship.

Three other players who were fast-tracked from Nicky Spooner’s Under-18s last season – Ronan Darcy, Jordan Boon and Eddie Brown – have also had their contracts extended for another season.

Connell would have commanded a £300,000 compensation fee if he had signed for another club when his previous deal expired next month.
SPL side Rangers were also monitoring his situation and could have snapped him up for even less because different rules apply on international transfers.
Darcy, who like Connell, has been on Bolton’s books since the age of eight, made his senior debut at Nottingham Forest on the final day of last season.
Chelsea and Celtic were among the clubs linked with the 18-year-old, who grabbed five goals in the youth team last season.

Darcy has been on Parkinson’s first-team radar since achieving promotion from League One in 2016/17 and also loaned the youngster out to his hometown club Skelmersdale last season.
Centre-back Boon spent time at Northwich Victoria last season, making three appearances, and was part of the side which reached the FA Youth Cup quarter-finals this season.

Striker, Brown, was top scorer for the youth team last season, grabbing 12 goals in 15 starts in all competitions, including one against Newcastle United in the cup run.
Meanwhile, Josh Magennis has been called into a Northern Ireland training camp in Manchester ahead of their games against Estonia and Belarus.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/17652781.bolton-wanderers-secure-rangers-spurs-norwich-target-to-longer-deal/

God knows who is in charge of negotiating these deals at the moment but well done to them. Hopefully these lads will now be given the opportunity to prove themselves. Great work all involved!

Agreed, a very good, and rare, decision.

Sounds like his heads been turned.
theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/17656908.luca-connell-agent-will-sort-my-bolton-wanderers-future/
https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/17656908.luca-connell-a

Would we be due more compensation or a transfer fee now he's signed on again if he did leave us? I don;t think he can sign a professional contract yet either can he?

Luca Connell: Agent will sort my Bolton Wanderers future

LUCA Connell’s future could be sorted by the time he returns from international duty.
The Wanderers midfielder, currently with the Republic of Ireland at a training camp in Portugal, is being chased by a string of Premier League and Championship clubs.
Connell has been signed to an extra year on his scholarship contract by Bolton – who were keen to strengthen their position in any potential tribunal – but that has not put off his ever-growing list of suitors.
Asked about his future, the 18-year-old, who could win his first caps in upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against Denmark and Gibraltar, said: "I don't know, I'm leaving that down to my agent. Hopefully he's sorting that out while I'm away, seeing what's about and what he thinks is best for me."

Mick McCarthy drafted the midfielder into his week-long training camp in Quinta do Lago at the last minute despite not having seen him play in the flesh.

Connell explained that his dad, Andrew, had taken the call from the Ireland boss, sparking a quick change of plan.

"It was only Sunday night the gaffer rang my dad and said he'd be interested, had heard a lot about me, hadn't seen me live yet, but he's looking forward to seeing me, so I can't wait to get on the pitch.
"To be honest, I didn't know what to do. It's one of those ones, I was confused and it didn't really sink in until I was on the plane that I was actually coming over to meet the first-team squad."

Liverpool-born Connell played for Ireland’s Under-17s last summer and is understood to have been offered a chance to switch allegiances to England.

The youngster admitted it was "surreal" to walk into the team hotel to meet McCarthy, assistants Terry Connor and Robbie Keane and the rest of the players.

However, there was one man whose acquaintance he was particularly keen to make.
He said: "It's crazy, it's surreal to be honest, especially Seamus Coleman. Being from Liverpool and supporting Everton and supporting him through everything, it's brilliant for me.

"I spoke to Seamus last night, he welcomed me in. Being the skipper, that's part of his job as well, isn't it? But he's a lovely, lovely fella. I can't thank him enough for welcoming me in."

Connell is scheduled to be with the squad only for the week in Portugal - they face Denmark and Gibraltar in Euro 2020 qualifiers early next month - although McCarthy threw him down a challenge as he prepared to start work.

The manager said: "He knows he's coming in for the week in Portugal - unless he rips it up, of course and he's top man every day, who knows?"

Asked if he intended to rip it up, the midfielder replied with a smile: "I'm going to try my best."
The midfielder's elevation comes at the end of a breakthrough season at Bolton during which he made 15 senior appearances in difficult circumstances with the club battling, an ultimately failing, to secure Sky Bet Championship survival amid upheaval off the pitch.

He said: "It's been a tough season for the club, the players, the staff, the fans, tough all around. But it's been a good season for me personally. I've experience in the Championship and I'm grateful to the gaffer for giving me the chance."

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/17656908.luca-connell-agent-will-sort-my-bolton-wanderers-future/