Imps DoF Reveals Club Rejected Two Deadline Day Bids For Players

Credit Graham Burrell

Last night, Imps’ Director of Football Jez George joined us on out Deadline Day Live video to discuss the Imps business.

There wasn’t any business to be done, and while that included us missing out on a player, it also meant we didn’t lose any as well. Paudie O’Connor has been the subject of bids this winter, and Ethan Erhahon is always being talked about as one we might sell, so keeping them was a big bit of business.

Credit Graham Burrell

While no players were named, Jez confirmed the club did turn down offers for players on deadline day, offers he described as ‘serious’.

“We’ve turned down two offers today for two different players—two really serious offers,” he told me last night. “That’s great credit to the board for backing the club, backing Michael, and backing the fact that we want to keep fighting this season. We don’t want to signal to our supporters that the season’s over.

“We know it’s going to be hard to do what we want to do, but we want to keep chasing, keep fighting, and we want everybody to be with us. So, great credit to the board that we have not sold our players for anything other than the value we have for them.”

Credit Graham Burrell

While that may mean we lose Paudie O’Connor for nothing in the summer, it does show a degree of intent for the upcoming months of the season. Generally, Jez explained how we do want to keep our best players, but if we don’t, we’re working hard on ensuring sales go through on our terms.

“We’re doing our absolute best to ensure no one leaves the football club unless it’s absolutely at our value. We want to make sure that people never see us as a club they can come to in the last 10 minutes of a window and put a gun to our heads.

“That comes from a relationship with the player, a relationship with the agent, and good communication with both of those parties over time. If clubs are speculative and try to do that, we’re in a strong position because of the backing we have from the board.”

One of the big problems we face is the changing climate in League One. Paudie, who is 27, will likely command a bigger wage in the summer than we’re able to offer, and some other players we were linked with, such as Joe Taylor, reach transfer fees far in excess of our budget.

“We might not be able to pay the wages others can—and probably don’t want to, to be perfectly honest—and we certainly can’t do the eye-watering transfer fees, like £2.5 million, which is just insane in this league. But what we do have is so many genuine people here who care about the club, and therefore, no one will leave unless it’s for the right value.”

Credit Graham Burrell

Of course, we’d like to get money for Paudie, but it is also good to see the club showing a little ambition in retaining key players. It’s almost a ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t scenario’ as if we sold, fans would be angry that we’ve let a player go, but when we don’t, some feel the ‘model’ of turning profits for key players isn’t working.

Sadly, it is not possible to force a player to sign a new deal, and far from ‘letting contracts expire’, the club are actively trying to hang on to Paudie, as Jez explained in the video.

Be sure to visit our YouTube channel for the full video.