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IAN Holloway has failed in his effort to prise Alex Baptiste out of a deal with Wanderers[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]– and the defender is set to join up with the squad for training today.
There had been some uncertainty over whether the 27-year-old former Blackpool man would actually sign at the Reebok, with Crystal Palace offering big money to join them in the Premier League.
Wanderers had secured a pre-contract agreement but were effectively open to a "bid" from the Eagles before his official contract kicked in today – mirroring the situation they found themselves in with Didi Hamann in 2006.
Holloway looked seriously into ways of helping Baptiste back out of the deal but throughout the speculation the Whites hierarchy were confident that Dougie Freedman would get his man, eventually.
The Wanderers boss wants to install the highly-rated defender as his first-choice right-back and was even prepared to allow Sam Ricketts to begin speaking with Wolves about a possible deal on the strength of his belief in Baptiste’s ability.
Now, the former Mansfield Town man should report to Euxton for the first time today, although it is not yet known whether he will undergo the fitness testing other players went through at the end of last week, or whether he will be out on the pitch for the first full outdoor session.
Meanwhile, Wanderers will not be breaking the bank to land Blackburn Rovers' hitman Jordan Rhodes, as was claimed in one Sunday morning report.
The Scotland international cost £8million from Huddersfield Town last summer but with the story stating that Rovers had to balance the books, it was said Rhodes would be available for £9m.
Sources at the club have scotched talk of such figures – but it is understood Freedman will be looking to add another striker to his ranks before the start of August, along with incoming signing Jermaine Beckford. The Leicester City man is very close to signing a two-year deal at the Reebok, with a fee reported to be £1million.
And should Freedman add another attacker to his ranks, that could well raise questions about the future of David Ngog, who has just one year remaining on his contract, or Marvin Sordell, who has been persistently linked with moves elsewhere since struggling to settle in his early days at the club.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
There had been some uncertainty over whether the 27-year-old former Blackpool man would actually sign at the Reebok, with Crystal Palace offering big money to join them in the Premier League.
Wanderers had secured a pre-contract agreement but were effectively open to a "bid" from the Eagles before his official contract kicked in today – mirroring the situation they found themselves in with Didi Hamann in 2006.
Holloway looked seriously into ways of helping Baptiste back out of the deal but throughout the speculation the Whites hierarchy were confident that Dougie Freedman would get his man, eventually.
The Wanderers boss wants to install the highly-rated defender as his first-choice right-back and was even prepared to allow Sam Ricketts to begin speaking with Wolves about a possible deal on the strength of his belief in Baptiste’s ability.
Now, the former Mansfield Town man should report to Euxton for the first time today, although it is not yet known whether he will undergo the fitness testing other players went through at the end of last week, or whether he will be out on the pitch for the first full outdoor session.
Meanwhile, Wanderers will not be breaking the bank to land Blackburn Rovers' hitman Jordan Rhodes, as was claimed in one Sunday morning report.
The Scotland international cost £8million from Huddersfield Town last summer but with the story stating that Rovers had to balance the books, it was said Rhodes would be available for £9m.
Sources at the club have scotched talk of such figures – but it is understood Freedman will be looking to add another striker to his ranks before the start of August, along with incoming signing Jermaine Beckford. The Leicester City man is very close to signing a two-year deal at the Reebok, with a fee reported to be £1million.
And should Freedman add another attacker to his ranks, that could well raise questions about the future of David Ngog, who has just one year remaining on his contract, or Marvin Sordell, who has been persistently linked with moves elsewhere since struggling to settle in his early days at the club.
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