Home
Bolton Wanderers could get Jermaine Beckford for nothing
7:00am Monday 8th July 2013 in Latest By Marc Iles
WANDERERS could be about to land £1million-man Jermaine Beckford for absolutely nothing!
Dougie Freedman had been all set at the end of last week to bring the Leicester City striker in for a seven-figure fee, only for the deal to stall at the last minute.
The delay was explained at the time as “contractual issues” by sources close to the player – and understood to be a disagreement on the actual amount of money owed by Leicester to the player for the rest of his contract.
An injury to Foxes striker David Nugent may also have been a contributing factor but it has now emerged that Leicester are talking to the 29-year-old about cancelling the remaining time on his contract, effectively making him a free agent.
It mirrors a similar situation faced by Wanderers with Sam Ricketts last week as he negotiated a move to Wolves.
In that case, it was thought the money saved by annulling his contract was more than would have been received for a fee from the Midlands club.
A window of opportunity has now cropped up for Leicester to do the same, and with sources close to the club claiming a large chunk of cash is owed to Everton if he plays just one more game at the King Power Stadium, it seems simply a case of limiting their losses.
Meanwhile, Freedman is looking to continue his recruitment in the next couple of weeks by targeting a winger and a striker.
But the Wanderers boss is keen to keep his business head – and says that the rest of his transfer plans this summer do not hinge on him selling players.
Though there has been speculation about interest from Middlesbrough in David Wheater and Tim Ream, Bordeaux in David Ngog, Leeds United in Matt Mills, Everton and Sunderland in Chung-Yong Lee and Charlton Athletic in Marvin Sordell, the club has yet to be tested by a serious bid.
Ricketts, Kevin Davies, Gregg Wylde and Rob Lainton have been allowed to leave for free – which has created a little space in a wage budget that has nearly been halved in the last 18 months.
But Freedman says he is under no pressure to create cash to invest – and is pressing ahead with his recruitment plans without worrying about what bids may arrive from elsewhere.
“I’m not under any pressure at all to move players on,” he said. “I am very comfortable with the budget I am working with.
“Everyone wants more money, more this, more that, but I try to look at it a different way and all I want is to work with players. If I can make them better, I can move the team forward and I think I have done that since I have been here.
“People might come and try to buy my players and I can only really deal with that as and when it happens.
7:00am Monday 8th July 2013 in Latest By Marc Iles
WANDERERS could be about to land £1million-man Jermaine Beckford for absolutely nothing!
Dougie Freedman had been all set at the end of last week to bring the Leicester City striker in for a seven-figure fee, only for the deal to stall at the last minute.
The delay was explained at the time as “contractual issues” by sources close to the player – and understood to be a disagreement on the actual amount of money owed by Leicester to the player for the rest of his contract.
An injury to Foxes striker David Nugent may also have been a contributing factor but it has now emerged that Leicester are talking to the 29-year-old about cancelling the remaining time on his contract, effectively making him a free agent.
It mirrors a similar situation faced by Wanderers with Sam Ricketts last week as he negotiated a move to Wolves.
In that case, it was thought the money saved by annulling his contract was more than would have been received for a fee from the Midlands club.
A window of opportunity has now cropped up for Leicester to do the same, and with sources close to the club claiming a large chunk of cash is owed to Everton if he plays just one more game at the King Power Stadium, it seems simply a case of limiting their losses.
Meanwhile, Freedman is looking to continue his recruitment in the next couple of weeks by targeting a winger and a striker.
But the Wanderers boss is keen to keep his business head – and says that the rest of his transfer plans this summer do not hinge on him selling players.
Though there has been speculation about interest from Middlesbrough in David Wheater and Tim Ream, Bordeaux in David Ngog, Leeds United in Matt Mills, Everton and Sunderland in Chung-Yong Lee and Charlton Athletic in Marvin Sordell, the club has yet to be tested by a serious bid.
Ricketts, Kevin Davies, Gregg Wylde and Rob Lainton have been allowed to leave for free – which has created a little space in a wage budget that has nearly been halved in the last 18 months.
But Freedman says he is under no pressure to create cash to invest – and is pressing ahead with his recruitment plans without worrying about what bids may arrive from elsewhere.
“I’m not under any pressure at all to move players on,” he said. “I am very comfortable with the budget I am working with.
“Everyone wants more money, more this, more that, but I try to look at it a different way and all I want is to work with players. If I can make them better, I can move the team forward and I think I have done that since I have been here.
“People might come and try to buy my players and I can only really deal with that as and when it happens.
