Tyrese Shade
First reported: 14th August
Burton Albion attacker Tyrese Shade was linked with City by Pete O’Rourke, who reported that the Imps had seen multiple bids worth around £2 million rejected. The 26-year-old Saint Kitts and Nevis international began his senior career with Solihull Moors before joining Leicester City, later gaining EFL experience with Walsall and Swindon Town. Shade scored 14 National League goals for Eastleigh during the 2024/25 season before moving to Burton, where he registered 14 goals in 44 appearances during his first campaign.
Jez George later addressed the reported interest and explained why the fee quoted for a player of Shade’s age would not fit City’s recruitment model:
“I think you’ll also realise the type of model we look at when we’re trying to recruit players. If we’re going to spend a significant transfer fee, we have to be able to realise a multiple of that in terms of asset value in the future.
“I think the player you mentioned is 26 years old. There were probably one or two others we were looking at in that position who were at that ready-made age, including one we signed on loan in Tanto.
“For us, it has to make sense financially. The level of the number you mentioned and the age of the player simply wouldn’t make sense for us.”
Eventually, Shade moved to Portsmouth, and I think Jez’s comments are interesting. I do think we were interested in Shade, but bear in mind the reported Pompey fee was £1.8m. Are we expected to believe Burton turned down £2m from us, but accepted less from them?
Or is it that this rumour, whilst accurate in terms of us targeting the player, was factually incorrect and featured the sum Burton wanted us to bid, not the sum we actually did?
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