Written by Barry Vinnicombe
There has been much talk about Blackpool’s stand-out talent of the season. He’s the midfield general in Blackpool’s midfield, lining up alongside David Vaughan, Gary Taylor-Fletcher and Elliot Grandin to create a combination that although fairly unknown in name, excels in creating an attacking brand of football that belies their unfashionable status.
The linchpin to this midfield quartet is the man with the first name for a surname, the man who does in fact bear a likeness in his play to that other dual-first-named central midfielder; although Charlie Adam has yet to sell his soul like the dastardly Gareth Barry.
With the January transfer window upon us, speculation has been rife regarding the possible transfer of Adam from a team where he is not just the captain, but also the heartbeat. It would be a shame for Adam to leave the club at such an important conjuncture in their season and it could be the catalyst for a downward descent towards the foot of the table…
… Perhaps that’s an exaggeration, but without Adam in the team, Blackpool’s swashbuckling performances would surely take a hit.
Charles Graham Adam was born in 1985, Dundee and played at Rangers, Ross County and St Mirren before capturing the attention of Blackpool, who initially took him on loan in January 2009 before sealing a permanent move in August 2009. Adam’s early career with Blackpool was tumultuous to say the least. He was sent off on his debut and banned for three matches before scoring a goal from the half-way line in a reserve match. He went on to appear 13 times that season before his return to Parent club Rangers. A deal looked unlikely at one point, but by the 6th of July Adam was a Blackpool player. The 2009-10 season proved to be the making of Adam. The club clinched promotion, Adam scored 17 goals and was named as one of the Championship players of the season
Charlie Adam has increased his stock considerably this season with stand-out performances against a host of big teams. None more so than against Man City in October when he completely bossed the midfield, making a mockery of his rivals’ price tags and reputations. The number of clubs interested in Adam currently amounts to four or five, but as media speculation surrounding his transfer intensifies, more interested parties are sure to throw their hats in.
There have so far been two firm bids from Villa, who weighed in with an improved bid of £3.5million on Wednesday evening with Houllier apparently being rather keen on his passing ability. Villa’s bitter rivals, Birmingham, are also keen on the playmaker which could potentially spark a vicious bidding war between the two Midlands clubs.
There was also talk of Bolton weighing in with a £6million bid back in December, but their interest seems to have cooled since then. We’ve also had the News of The World previously adding fuel to the fire suggesting that either Everton or Wigan were all set for a £5million bidding war for the services of the Gaelic international!
Perhaps the most interesting of the current crop of interested clubs, are Liverpool. The claim is completely unsubstantiated, but according to a number of reports they are currently weighing up a £4million offer with the aim of gazumping their Brummie counterparts.
With 18 months left on his contract and offers seemingly flooding in for the Scot international, this particular transfer saga will certainly be a test of Blackpool’s resolve and will give us a hint to their own long-term ambitions. With the only substantiated bid weighing in at a criminally meagre £3.5million, Blackpool would surely be wiser to hold out for substantially more cash, or tie him down to a longer contract.
