Bolton are in the market for Kilmarnock winger Armstrong

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Wanderers have made enquiries about Kilmarnock winger Danny Armstrong, the Bolton News understands.

The 26-year-old is one of several players of interest to Ian Evatt as he attempts to strengthen his squad this summer for a tilt at promotion from League One.

Armstrong scored 10 goals in 47 appearances for Kille last season as they qualified for Europe with a fourth-placed finish in the Scottish Premiership but the club’s attempts to extend his contract beyond next summer have proven unsuccessful.

Reports yesterday claimed that two Bolton bids of circa £400,000 have already been rejected, although we have learned that negotiations may not yet have reached the bidding stage and that the numbers quoted in the national press are considerably higher than those discussed between the two parties.

Wanderers are monitoring the former Wolves trainee, however, in what could prove to be a tactical departure for Evatt and his coaching staff.

Armstrong has played the vast majority of his football in his career as an orthodox right winger but has operated in most attacking positions, as a wing-back, and even briefly as a left-sided full-back at Raith Rovers.

Bolton’s width came almost exclusively from their wing-backs last season, and some have speculated that interest in the versatile Taunton-born attacker could be a hint towards the tactical flexibility that Evatt has discussed in his plans for next season.

Wanderers are working hard to bring in at least one new signing before the weekend but even if a firm bid is made for Armstrong, Kilmarnock have made it clear that they want him to stay.

As recently as last week, manager Derek McInnes said his club had been working for some time to agree a longer contract with one of his most highly rated assets and were now hoping that the lure of continental football would be enough for him remain at Rugby Park.

He said: “It's ongoing. What we have been better at recently is to secure players longer term and get a wee bit more stability, more security and certainty about things. Year in, year out, making wholesale changes isn't a good thing for a club. On the back of last season, we wanted to try to retain the core of what we had.

“So even boys who are into their last year, we are constantly trying to look at getting these boys tied down. Danny is a case in point. We've been trying for the last six or seven months to get an agreement where he can sign a bit longer. The reality is it is going to be difficult to do that but these things are ongoing.

“You are trying to keep good players within the club as well as trying to attract good players from outwith. It's a constant battle but while the players are with us, like Danny, he's got a lot to offer and we don't want to just let people walk out of the door cheap. He's such a key player for us.

“We've got Europe to look forward to, but we see the importance of trying to get that longer-term stability for our players."

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Derek McInnes admits Kilmarnock may be forced to listen to offers for midfielder Danny Armstrong – but added that no club has come “anywhere near” the club’s valuation this summer.

Bolton Wanderers are understood to have an interest in the 26-year-old, who has just 12 months remaining on his contract with the Scottish Premiership side.

Attempts to secure him to a longer deal have been unsuccessful and reports in the Scottish media claim two unsuccessful bids have been made by the Whites, the most recent of which was in the region of £400,000.

Wanderers have set out their stall to Kilmarnock, naming what they would be prepared to pay, and are also thought to be looking at other options in the winger/wing-back positions.

But McInnes has now left the door open for negotiation by admitting his club would be open to selling Armstrong if their own price was met.

The former Wolves youth product was one of Kilmarnock’s most productive players last season, scoring 10 goals and 14 assists as they finished fourth in the Scottish top flight and qualified for the Europa League.

McInnes claims Armstrong remains happy to continue at Rugby Park but with Bolton now looking to step up their own transfer business less than a month away from the start of the League One campaign, there could now be scope for further talks.

Asked if he felt he could keep Armstrong beyond this summer, the Kilmarnock boss said: “We can. It has been my priority to get players secured and we don’t want them to go into the last year of their contract.

“This isn’t a case of waking up and saying: ‘We’d better deal with Danny.’ “We have been trying for the last seven or eight months, or so, to get Danny to extend.

“The conversations have been amicable. We put forward a brilliant offer to him and his representatives but it wasn’t enough. And sometimes that is just the way it is.

“While he is here, he is committed, he is looking forward to being part of the European campaign and looking forward to the season start.

“Going forward it is important for a club like ourselves to try and make sure that is not the norm, and I don’t expect it to be. If we get an offer for Danny that matches the valuation of the club then, of course, he may have that opportunity to move but nobody has come anywhere near that valuation and Danny isn’t itching to move, so by the same token we’re looking forward to what will hopefully be another productive season for him.”

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Armstrong was born in Taunton, Somerset, but was being touted for a place as a right wing-back in Scotland’s Euro 2024 squad having previously represented them at Under-16s level. He also qualifies to play international football for Ireland.

Wanderers have been looking to improve their options in the wing-back positions and the left-footed Armstrong could offer real flexibility, as he is also able to play further forward on either side of attack.

Ian Evatt has hinted that some major moves could be in the offing in the transfer market - and Armstrong would certainly be viewed as a coup, in what has been the most successful spell of his career to date.

Randell Williams’ foot injury means he is unlikely to make the start of the season, which leaves Bolton short on cover on the left side.

Josh Dacres-Cogley was virtually ever-present on the right last season and Luke Matheson has been drafted in from the B Team to act as pre-season cover, with Gethin Jones also nursing an injury at present.

Armstrong - who was also linked with Rangers back in May - had previously said he was in no rush to sign a new deal in Ayrshire but was enjoying his time with the club.

"It’s important to look after yourself, it’s a great place to be, full of unbelievable people,” he said at the end of the season. “There’s no rush, I’m still under contract here and I just want to get through these last two games.

"I love this club. We’ve always been in light discussions about whether Kilmarnock wants to tie me down here even longer. I feel people will expect that. It’s a great feeling knowing that your club wants to extend your contract. If there can be some sort of agreement that can be done then it’s something I will look at.

"Especially when you’re about to start a family you need to consider what’s best for every aspect. I’ve got good people behind me who can look after me and give me the best advice. All I can say is I love this place, I love being here and I’ve still got another year on my contract. If anything comes up, it’s something I might need to look at, but if not then I’m more than happy at Kilmarnock. It truly is a great place."

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I looked at Iles tweet about us allegedly being in the mix for K Dembele - which seemed a stretch - and wondered if it was a planted story to try to loosen up the negotiations for Armstrong after both our bids for him were rejected - and given that 3 Championship teams have tabled offers for the ex Celtic wonderkid Dembele I am more convinced that we are still after Armstrong.
Iles seldom speculates and certainly doesn't break news of signings until they are in the bag so the whole thing seems a bit weird. The McAtee thing seems plausible, but is hardly exciting by comparison.

wanderlust wrote:I looked at Iles tweet about us allegedly being in the mix for K Dembele - which seemed a stretch - and wondered if it was a planted story to try to loosen up the negotiations for Armstrong after both our bids for him were rejected - and given that 3 Championship teams have tabled offers for the ex Celtic wonderkid Dembele I am more convinced that we are still after Armstrong.
Iles seldom speculates and certainly doesn't break news of signings until they are in the bag so the whole thing seems a bit weird. The McAtee thing seems plausible, but is hardly exciting by comparison.

Are you for real???

Of course it is a planted story!

Iles is totally reliant on the club for news stories and it is in his own self interest not to report anything that will ruin that relationship.

And is it a planted story in order to get Armstrong - how dumb are you to actually to think such bollocks at your age???

Kilmarnock will know how the transfer 'game' works (even if you don't) they will know what to pay Armstrong to keep him and if they aren't prepared to do that then they will have a value at which if someone will meet it (or pay more) they will sell, and if no one does they will allow the player to see out his contract and leave a free agent at the end of the coming season.

The player himself might kick up a fuss but it is likely that his agent will tell him what is best for him to do.

Who at Kilmarnock would even be bothered what a Bolton newspaper journalist writes???

The club knows what they will sell Armstrong for (or will keep him if no one meets their valuation) and Armstrong's agent will know what clubs have registered an interest in him and which are seriously trying to sign him - a £400k bid (if true) seems to be serious intent.

Iles writes for a Bolton audience, to fill daily newspapers columns.  A good chunk of what he writes is mindless pap but it is what people will read and come back for more of.

He's not plucked the Dembele story out of thin air, there probably is a natural interest from the club to be linked to him if he was within our means (fwiw I must be the only one who can't see what all the fuss is about, as he only seems to me to at best be the level of Maghoma is, and I can't see clubs falling over themselves to sign him?).

Is Dembele a serious signing for Bolton or not isn't an issue to Kilmarnock, what is, is will a club (any club) pay the value they want for Armstrong or not.

We don't know what the value is to them (it might be £200k say for all we know) and Kilmarnock bluffing to get to say £450k but would cut Bolton a deal at say £350k to buy him before the end of the month (that determines which football season the money will fall in, in terms of financial accounting purposes).

In short it's all a pantomime that is played out at every club every season and everyone understands what goes on (you apart obviously).

Bolton, like many clubs will have expressed an interest in Dembele, Iles has been given this tit-bit story by the club (as it won't effect anything including Kilmarnock's position on Armstrong) and in return Iles will be expected to keep schtum on other future Bolton stories when they don't want stuff to be made public.  That's how it works.

The more interesting thing to all this to me is where FV are getting their transfer war chest from?

We are told a £400k bid has been made and apparently we are in the market for more player purchases.

If true we can't finance anything from within the club (we have run at at debt every year since FV took over) and no one has put equity into the club apart from the Swiss for the last two years and the fans with the bond scheme.

So either the club will be issuing a further issues of shares (Sharon et al risking more of their own money), they've taken on new loans (debt that need to be paid back), or they've diluted even more the existing equity in the club (which means in simple terms the existing shareholders will not get back their initial investment if the business is sold at this point in time).

Of course it could just be Mason happily pissing some of his millions away for all we know.

But the point is that money is coming in from somewhere...


...and they won't get it back anytime soon if at all (the PBP loan has been overdue for repayment for over five years now for example).

Sluffy wrote:The more interesting thing to all this to me is where FV are getting their transfer war chest from?

So either the club will be issuing a further issues of shares (Sharon et al risking more of their own money), they've taken on new loans (debt that need to be paid back), or they've diluted even more the existing equity in the club (which means in simple terms the existing shareholders will not get back their initial investment if the business is sold at this point in time).

But the point is that money is coming in from somewhere...

And just to underline my point it seems Companies House have just received notice from FV TODAY that they are in the process of changing their Articles of Association (which in simple terms is the rules they set for themselves on how legally to run their business).

There must be a need to do so for some good reason - that wasn't there previously?

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