Many Clarets fans have been saying we have a new forward this season; one that will be key to our promotion prospects! That striker is none other than Martin Paterson!
Of course, he is not ‘new’ as such but after a season out of the limelight recovering from a persistent thigh injury, it seems like it, now that he has made a full recovery! Indeed it does feel like we have a new striker available to us! (in fact two if you also count Charlie Austin, now fit after recovering from a dislocated shoulder)
But now Pato is back for the Clarets, could someone else now poach him away from us? Already Reading and particularly Pompey have been linked with a move for the former Scunthorpe striker.
Former Clarets gaffer, Steve Cotterill seems hellbent on signing Paterson for Pompey.Burnley are reported to have already turned down two bids from Portsmouth with the second thought to be as high as £1.5m.
Howe has also made it clear to the Hampshire club that further offers would not be welcome. However,media reports earlier this week suggested that Portsmouth`s interest in Paterson is still very much alive with suggestions that as much as £2.5 million may now have been put on the table!
Now you know Burnley, always got an eye on the money and keen to hoodwink the fans that we can sell a player and call it a ‘good bit of business’ but are they really this time determined to hold onto a player or sell him to a club that dared go into debt and suffer administration and worse only a couple of seasons ago?
The rumours got so bad over the potential transfer of the 24 year old, that the Official Site issued the following statement from Eddie Howe
“We are not encouraging any talks and we are not discussing any bids as far as I`m concerned, and I`m sure the board are concerned.
“Martin Paterson is our player and I desperately don`t want to lose him.
“I want to build my squad around our best players and I certainly think Pato is one of them.”
Strong words indeed so if we lose Pato then we know we wont be building the squad around one of our best players!
Let’s hope then the Board dont see the £££££ signs spinning around and decide to further weaken the squad and keep the money for themselves rather than release the funds for Eddie Howe to make this squad competitive in 2011-12.
Come on you BFC, don’t bugger this up as well like you did with Cork!!
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