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Walsall defender Anthony Gerrard has rocked the Saddlers by handing in a transfer request.
The 6ft 2in defender is demanding to leave before next week’s transfer deadline to play at a higher level.
Saddlers chairman Jeff Bonser has accused Gerrard’s representatives of unsettling the Liverpool-born centre half. He insisted it would take a ‘substantial offer’ for the club to sell the player.
He revealed the club have already rejected one bid but have now agreed to the 22-year-old’s transfer request. All Premier League, Championship and Scottish Premier League clubs have been notified of his availability.
Birmingham City are one of the clubs thought to be interested in taking Gerrard.
Bonser said: “This seems to be a trait of the modern game. Players’ agents are pro-active in trying to broker transfer deals. This is how they make their money.
“Quite clearly Anthony Gerrard’s representative has been actively trying to stimulate the interest of other clubs regarding the transfer of the player. Only last week we turned down an offer from a Championship club for him.
“However, such behind-the-scenes activity is bound to have an unsettling effect on the player. This, it seems, has led to Anthony Gerrard handing in a written transfer request.
“Our policy has always been not to keep players who do not want to play for Walsall Football Club. This is the stance in this case.
“Let me assure supporters that, as Anthony Gerrard is under contract until the end of the 2009/10 season, unless a substantial offer is received from a Championship or Premier League club, he will not be sold.”
The announcement will be the news that Saddlers fans have been fearing.
They won’t be entirely surprised either, having seen other young rising stars Daniel Fox and Scott Dann sold to Coventry City during the last transfer window.
Gerrard, the cousin of Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, joined Walsall in 2005 after his release from Everton.
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50 Comments
Come on mick get him in
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COME ON MOXEY, GET HIM IN BEFORE THE BLUE NOSES! Forget Higginbottom, he is at the right age and is ambitious!
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Take note Mick McCarthy
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And has anyone actually seen the guy play that is making these comments?
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Surprise Surprise Uncle Jeffery.
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sign him up!!!
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Can’t see Walsall being able to hold out for anything more than £1million at the most, go for it Mick!
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mowbray get him in £550,000 hes 1 for the future
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He might be right age and ambitious but he is a league 1 defender, he aint got the quality to play any higher!
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get him mccarthy
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get him mick he is the right age forget higginbotham get him he is only 22
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Seems to tick all the right boxes to me so come on MOXEY get it done moxey style
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Just what we need, young, quick, talented and a CB, perfect for filling the gap left by Craddock, and will still be here when Craddock retires, one for now and the future. Now for the LB berth…
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Wolves fans. I’d be interested to know why you think he’s any good!
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good luck to him hope he does really well been best player at walsall for a couple of seasons and deserves to be at a club with ambition unlike walsall all the fans was quick to forget dann and fox but ask yourself have we really got anyone in good enough for promotion new song at walsall before players come out is status quo down down deeper and down
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This looks very much like he is saying come and get me to the Wolves
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Sign Him Up !
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booster i dont know much bout him.how would you rate him.thanks
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Not really surprised how much do you think he will go for???
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Ssssh Booster, he’s world class, at least that’s the story until he has gone
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Booster….i no hes a class act as my cousins are all SADDlers and i saw him in ur testimonial game and the pre season friendly. GET HIM IN MICK!! also bid 4 matlock from leicester or how ever its spelt.
COM’ON ME BABEIS!!
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is he any good never seen him play don’t want him at wolves if he’s no good
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Hes got to be better than the crap we have allready,give him a chance you muppet.
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5. Cos im a wolves fan living in wensbo so i do watch the saddlers when i can .. 5 or 6 times a year and he always looks decent to me. ane he is till young and can learn.
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Would be a good buy the lad has always had good reports and is big and strong just what we need indefence. I would still go for Higginbottom as well for the extra cover we will need three games in and two injuries already.
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Another player sick of playing at a club with no ambition. Cant blame gessa for wanting to better himself if he goes saddlers defence will go to pot.WAKE UP BONSER WALSALLS FALLING APART.
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take him and also sign another defender you spend 3m on gerrard and higgy
may sound alot but could well be difference promotion or playoffs
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He is quality and Walsall best player by a mile, i am a season ticket hodler at the Bescot and would be very sorry to see him go. It was only a matter of time before he did. Unfortunately he is too good for us.
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Good luck Ant, a good player, should definately be playing in the Championship. However, I’d like him to repay us by not joining the dingles, anywhere else is fine.
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Don’t worry Walsall fans. It could be much worse you could have TERRY supporting you as he is a “local” lad!!!
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bonser make anthony gerrard stay plz hes a quilaty player and hes the best STAY GERRARD PLEASE!
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Get him in Mick !!
A.Gerrard is a cracking player , only 22 , good header of the ball , got pace , can get forward , got player of the 2 years in a row at walsall ( he’s got to be good ) and the best bit is we could get him for about £600k !!
GET A.GERRARD IN MICK FROM WALSALL FOR £600K AND I WILL BE WELL CHUFFED ,
I WOULD RATHER HAVE GERRARD THAN COLLINS IN ANY WOLVES TEAM.
GET A.GERRARD IN MICK !!
UP THE WOLVES !!
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Here’s a chance for you Jeff, take a tip from the Villa handling of Barry and make him see out his contract. Unless of course you’d rather have the cash.
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Hope Wolves offer a player in exchange deal.
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Ha ha!! Yes Dingles you can have him for a million, he’ll get you promoted to the Premiership, honest!! Jeff, take their hands off for a million boyo!
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if he dont wanna play here get rid of him!! he aint been half the player he was when he had the assurance of scott dann next to him so just let him go an bring in 2-3 players with the money! 2 defenders an 1 striker please!! jimmy mullen doing a good job so far he knows what hes doing! just let the kid who was going nowhere who’s rebuilt his career at lil walsall go an show himself up in the championship!! he’ll soon come back down to earth!!
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Bonser strikes again, he’ll take whatever monies going because it ends up in his pocket. The clubs becoming a joke.
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29. Don’t worry mate he won’t be going to Burnley, they are after all the Dingles, he could well be joining Wolves though and as we’re the 2nd biggest club in the midlands behind villa why not, the lad has got talent and he’ll be a good signing for Wolves, forget the steptoes they’ll be getting stuffed week in week out.
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Gerrard is a good player but he is one paced nowhere near as good as Scott Dann. Gerrard gets a bit impulsive sometimes and wants to win every ball which causes him sometimes to be out of position. He is young enough to learn though. I’d take 750000 for him but what will walsall do with the money ?????
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I like Gerrard and actually rated him higher than Fox and Dann to be fair!! Gutted he’s handed request in but not totally suprised. I axctually don’t mind the Wolves and if he was to go anywhere I’d prefer it to be Wolves…and like pre-mentioned by various, right age, ambition and potential to be a hit….oh he’s got a bit of pace too!! As for Saddlers..in the words of someone I know…”I fear the worst”
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HAs anyone ever seen this guy play, or is it just the surname that gets the pant wetting happening?
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seen him play many times and had looked our far better defender on days!! strong in the air, willingness to win, as forementioned I thought he was better than Dann and Fox (both now cov) on some games! Hold on a minute….Cov looked bit shaky at back against Newcastle on TV….oh no, Gerrard to Cov then!?!?!
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Gutted really, and Walsall are heading back down into the dark depths of League 2 and maybe lower, cant see why Wolves wat him if they want Premier League football, hes no where near that standard.
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Good riddance if he doesnt want play 4 the club sell him so we have time to replace him 2 defenders 1 striker? wots the chances of that?
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Can’t blame Gezza wanting to get out of this sinking ship. Bonser will give Mullen about a fiver and tell him to get some quality in.
Why are the Dingles & Bluenoses sniffing around Gezza though? Scott Dann is a much better player. I can’t understand why they didn’t snap him up.
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I’d sell him for £1million or even £750k and a few players from Wolves’ reserves. He’s a decent player but not any more than Championship level. He has given 3 good seasons to Walsall but we have also been good to him after rescuing him from Everton’s reserves. This has been coming for some time, hence why we have been looking at Gary Breen. The acid test now is what we do with the money - get some decent players in Bonser/Mullen or Walsall fans will start to vote with their feet.
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GET IN THERE MOGGA AND HAVE HIM.
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GET BONSER AND MULLEN OUT!
this club is a joke.
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I wonder if Money has alerted Keegan as Keegan says Newcastle will sign 4 before the deadline….
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Liverpool born ‘Gerrard’
What better way then? Cheers
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