Written by Ricky Murray
The January transfer window is wide open and although most of the talk has centred on David Beckham’s proposed loan move to Tottenham Hotspur and whether he will actually turn out on match-day in a Spurs shirt, there are also other important transfers supposedly in the pipeline; ones that will have a much more lasting impact than that of Beckham’s, namely that of Blackpool’s influential vice-captain Charlie Adam and the affect it would have on them and the team that he may end up joining
Aston Villa reportedly made a £2.5million bid for the Scotsman; an offer that has unsurprisingly been turned down, although Villa have apparently upped their offer to £3.5million. In today’s extortionate transfer dealings, it is a pathetic amount for a player who has played such a vital role in the Tangerines’ impressive start to life in the Premiership, especially when you consider the £8million that Stoke City spent on Sunderland’s Kenwyne Jones at the turn of the season. Although I think that the latter has done well and that the prices for a modern day footballer are ridiculous, it could be argued that Adam is worth more than that.
Ian Holloway’s charismatic talisman has already acquired ‘legendary’ status amongst fans of the ‘Pool after scoring 16 goals in last season’s promotion winning campaign including the deciding goal in the Championship play-off semi-final against Nottingham Forest, the first in the final against Cardiff City with a trademark left foot screamer and, lest we forget, providing a large number of assists for others in their unexpected and remarkable road to glory. It seems that the directors of the Villans including Randy Lerner think that a comparatively small club like Blackpool will be so desperate for the cash that they will just accept the first patronising bid that features six numbers. But it will take more than just that for Holloway to part with his 25 year old maestro.
Villa’s offer is reflected in the fact that the Seasiders’ most prized asset doesn’t have much experience of England’s top-flight, even though he has played Champions League and International football for Rangers and Scotland respectively. If he played for a bigger club then no doubt clubs would be putting forward figures nearer the ten million pounds mark; that day may come, for if he can play as he is now at a relatively small club, one imagines what he could do surrounded by, and no disrespect to the current Blackpool side, a higher quality batch of players feeding off his trusty left foot swingers and midfield wizardry.
After all the contract wrangling that went on earlier in the season and the inevitable interest that he is attracting already from other clubs, that wonderment could become reality. If only he was English he could have been the solution to our long-term problem down the left flank and our inconsistency when it comes to the penalty spot, an area that suits Adam as much as the Moon would be an appropriate living space for Mike Ashley i.e. very well.
Beckham’s intended loan move to Tottenham is destined to be temporary, but if Harry Redknapp is still looking for someone with ability similar to the artistry displayed by ‘Golden Balls’, then he could do much worse than to have a butchers at Charlie Adam. As for Villa, they’ve got a lot to learn both on and off the pitch.
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The bid was so low as Adam’s contract is running out. It’s not an insulting bid, but a shrewd one – rather than the possibility of having the player leave for nothing, it gives Blackpool the option of getting a nice chunk of cash for him.
I think it is too low and Ian Holloway himself thinks it is as well – ”absolutely disgraceful” were his actual words. Adam has another 18 months to go on his contract and if you take into account what he has done for Blackpool for the PAST 18 months then £2.5/£3.5million is an insult. Imagine what he’s going to do in the next 18 months. If Blackpool stay in the Premiership, they will probably make more than that fee for doing just that, and again, if they stay up, a lot of that would have been down to Adam.
The reason I think it is insulting is the fact that Charlie Adam has 18 months left on his contract. If the last 18 months are anything to go by, his contribution to them as a team will be worth far more than £2.5/3.5million as they may very well have not got promoted without his contributions. If he left now for that money and Blackpool were relegated, they would lose more than that amount in fees paid by not being in the Premiership.
*Sorry. I checked today if my comment from Friday had been posted and it weren’t there so I typed another one*