Eaves can leave Latics
Reporter: MATTHEW CHAMBERS
Date published: 02 August 2010
TOM Eaves can leave Athletic . . . once bids for the tall striker reach the right price.
Athletic have confirmed they have a figure in mind which would allow the 18-year-old to depart Boundary Park.
A clutch of Premier League clubs having already made firm offers for Eaves, whose prominence rose dramatically last week as a result of his hat-trick against Bolton in a pre-season friendly.
And now it is a case of the club stoking a bidding war for a player who signed a five-year deal with cash-strapped Athletic back in May.
“It isn’t just about the fee we would get up front,” said Athletic chief executive Alan Hardy. “We have to look at the value of the total package.”
Should Eaves depart, it would leave Athletic manager Paul Dickov short of strikers.
Last season’s 13-goal top scorer Pawel Abbott left the club late last week to join Charlton for a “nominal” fee.
The former Huddersfield Town man was the subject on an unsuccessful bid from the same club back in January and with the player keen to make the move south, Dickov allowed talks between the two parties to commence.
Athletic will also benefit from additional payments from Charlton spread over the length of Abbott’s two-year contract.
Ryan Brooke seemed set to make the step up to become a regular starter in Abbott’s absence, only for injury to strike in the 1-0 home win over Preston in Saturday’s final pre-season friendly. Match report and reaction on Page 35.
Clearly in pain after being caught by North End goalkeeper Andy Lonergan in the act of scoring, Brooke was carried off on a stretcher with an ankle injury. He will have a scan today provided the swelling around the injury New signing Warren Feeney missed out against Preston but is set to be fit for Athletic’s first league game of the new season at Tranmere on Saturday.
Dean Kelly, an Irish amateur international striker, has signed a six-month contract with Athletic after a successful trial spell earlier in pre-season.
Kelly is set for a run-out in the reserve-team game at Rhyl on Wednesday (7.30pm kick-off), along with last season’s captain Sean Gregan, who made an unexpected return to the first team against Preston following an ankle injury.
