Whitney keen on retaining Agyei
Walsall are currently 14th in League One this season and have concerns that they could lose some of their players in January when the transfer window opens given that five of their current squad are with them on loan from other clubs.
One of those players is Burnley striker Dan Agyei and he is one of four whose loans, along with those of Zeli Ismail (Bury) and West Brom pair Shaun Donnellan and Tyler Roberts, which are due to expire at the beginning of next month.
Agyei, who made his Premier League bow last season as a late substitute in the 2-1 defeat at Liverpool, had a hectic transfer deadline day with several clubs chasing his signature. He eventually signed for Walsall and has, albeit in a stop/start spell, scored five goals for them in over 570 minutes of football and Saddlers’ boss Jon Whitney is keen to keep him at the Banks’s Stadium along with some of the others although he’s also making plans should he not be able to keep those players.
“Talks have started regarding the loan players, but it’s just words at the moment,” Whitney told the Express & Star. “And of course I have spoken to several people regarding the players we have currently got, but I’ve also spoken to other players in case a plan B is needed.
“That is what you have got to do. You have to start early with recruitment. The agents started calling about three weeks ago, I understand they need to earn a living. These things rarely go smoothly and get done on the first day. Deals will probably get done at the last minute, but that is what we are here for.”
Whitney admitted that he’s not a fan of the January window. He said: “This window can be a difficult time. Would I say it is a good thing? Probably not. I’d prefer it if what you had at the start of the season is what you have for the remainder, but that’s not on my say so. We are ready for January though. It will be an interesting month.”
Follow UpTheClarets:
Share this page :