Wolves’ hope on Steven Fletcher deal
Friday 28th May 2010, 11:45AM BST.
Wolves are hoping their early pitch for £7million-rated Burnley striker Steven Fletcher sees off late interest from Birmingham and Blackburn.
The club are waiting to hold official talks with the Scotland international, who has left his future in the hands of his agent.
Wolves are understood to have all but agreed a record fee with Burnley, eclipsing the £6.5million they paid Reading for Kevin Doyle a year ago, and will only turn to £2.5million-rated Scunthorpe striker Gary Hooper if their pursuit fails.
They stepped up their bid for Fletcher after Aruna Dindane accepted a lucrative offer to play in Qatar, when a fee and a medical had been arranged for the 29-year-old to come to Molineux.
But, with the club also still confident of landing £2.5m Anderlecht utility man Jelle van Damme, chief executive Jez Moxey is cautiously optimistic of imminent arrivals.
He said: “We’re actively pursuing a number of players and I hope to have something soon, because we have been working on lots of things for quite some time.
“We don’t comment on players we’re negotiating for, but we’re in negotiations with a number of clubs for some players and we hope something will break in the not too distant future.
“I cannot comment on any player but we have not had talks (yet, regarding Fletcher).
“We’re not in a position to say anything just yet, but we’re close to doing one or two things.
“But it goes against everything we do to say where we are with who we’re with, and I know that’s awfully boring.”
As a sweetener, it’s believed Wolves are prepared to offload goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and striker Chris Iwelumo to Turf Moor on year-long loans.
It is understood Clarets boss Brian Laws enquired about taking Hennessey a few weeks ago, which kickstarted the Fletcher deal.
The 23- year-old scored 52 goals in 189 games for Hibernian, before a £3million club record switch a year ago.
Fletcher was Burnley’s 12-goal top scorer in the season just gone, although only eight came in the Premier League.
The 6ft 1in seven-capped international, like Doyle, has an excellent touch and is two-footed.
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Come on Jez, please make this happen!
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nice one!
and yesterday there was a lot of comments saying 7 million is to much ???
he has scored 8 goals in the prem with the burnley players ? he is 23 a scottish international and he is going to improve! he had brian laws as his manager and he had the burnley lads around him when he comes to us got mick to work with that will get the best out of him and will have our players around him that are a lot better than burnleys if you ask me him and doyle are going to be brill and 7 million is a bargain!
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The only thing I dislike in the column is he’s left his future in the hands of his agent.
He could end up anywhere at a price.
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“The 6ft 1in seven-capped international, like Doyle, has an excellent touch and is two-footed.”
Haha, that couldn’t be further from the truth. He’s only willing to use his left foot and misses far too many easy chances.
£7m for him. Yes thanks!
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c-mon mick and jez make this happen.. we all know what a player he is ..strike while the iron is hot get him upfront with super kev doyle….
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Mark B – I believe that he’s left it in the hands of his agent because he’s on holiday at the moment.
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Fletcher will be a good addition to our squad even at 7 million!
The fool who wrote yesterday that we should be signing players with a better PL pedigree and not someone who scored only 8 PL goals, should remember – Kevin Doyle only scored 9 PL goals so should we sell him then?
Fletcher is a Scottish international, only 23yo and is just the kind of player we need.
What will still be necessary though is to buy 2 midfield players and a defender then we can go into the new season full of confidence.
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Yes we can do it
Just keep on believing
and please dont give up on Gary Hooper he’s one of the young and hungry ones for the future
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4) But Matt with far better players around him, he will do better!
Lending Hennessey and Iwelumo will give you a good chance of getting back up.
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I said we should have gone for him in the summer when Burnley did and no-one agreed!!!!!! the lad is class and would be great with Doyle.
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Clarets fan here,
Excellent player and should do (and I hope he does do) really well for you guys. Great control for a big lad needs more than a few chances to score but think with confidence he will grow into a decent premiership player and score consistently.
Sad to see him go as he would of excelled in the championship and helped us back up but £7.5m is a good deal all round.
Just hope our clown of a manager spends the money well.
Good luck Fletch!!!!
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Lads what do we reckon do we have any chance of signing Michael Johnson from Man City?Benjani too maybe?
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I come in peace wolfies!!
But two things surprise me regarding this prospective transfer. Firstly the price, but more importantly the fact that if Wolves do sign him is Mick going to change his formation from last season that served you guys so well?
When fit neither player will want to sit on the bench, so 2 up front will change the whole set up from last season. Not sure you should change from the 4-5-1 that although was criticised for producing dull football and few goals, also kept you up. Dont get me wrong i do not subscribe to the mantra all should be beautiful, i applauded Mick for sticking to his guns and getting the job done.
The question is, are Wolves going to change their game plan for next season and is that a wise thing to do?
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13) A good point but 4-5-1 should only be used against the old big four. MM likes 4-4-2 but SEB was not doing it last season. There were signs at the end that he still may have an impact.
There is a lack of strikers that I would go for and I believe that Fletcher and Van Damme will be good signings. Terry Cooper says the latter is a quality player, so I would go alongwith someone like him than armchair fantasy football fans!
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13)WBAbomber. The formation was a means to an end, put in place halfway through the season to keep us in the Premiership. Most of us understood what had to be done and we put up with the ultra negative football (except West Ham away) but there were fans who got impatient and couldn’t grasp that playing somebody like Foley in midfield was part of that plan.
However I think/hope everybody at the Club including Mick knows we have to put a bit more class in the team so we can entertain and score goals too. Fletcher and others are part of that next step
Maybe we will bring out the 4-5-1 for special occasions. Thanks for the interest !
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I think £7M is a hell of a lot for Fletcher. Doyle had proven himself to be a premiership player with Reading and international with R.O.I, so £6.5M wasn’t a n issue.
I hope Mick is right to outlay this amount on a player who isn’t in the same league as Keane, who was rumored to only cost £8M…I know I’ll stop dreaming. I was hoping we would aim higher though.
I hope he proves to be a quality signing IF we get him in. Depends if Blues want him though! They’ll pay extra wages to get him – like Dann!
I also think without significant investment in defence and midfield, we will struggle if we revert to a 4-4-2. which I imagine is the plan with Fletcher and Doyle?
Also, 2 wingers to cover for Jarvis and Kightly is a must. They both tend to have injury problems and Ward and Foley are not adequate back ups. Hunt, Whittingham, Ledley, Eagles….?
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Forget Robbie Keane. He wants to fight for his place at Spurs. Fletcher is about the best that we can hope.
Hopefully there will be a few signings on the way but based on last year’s performances, a side like this would not go down!
Hahnemann Zubar Craddock Berra Van Damme Kightly Henry Jones Jarvis Doyle Fletcher
Let’s hope we get the two mentioned above and a couple of others. The other good thing is that we have an excellent crop of youngsters who will be not far away – Mendez-Laing, Malone, Batth, Gorman, Spray, Rooney etc
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Fletcher’s not a bad player, young, good attitude, will come to a better team than he’s leaving (if we get him). Should settle in quickly as he knows Christophe Berra. 7mil? A bit pricey though.
And Kevin Doyle? There is a great danger of losing him to one of the top teams. If Arsenal make a serious bid for him, Wolves can’t stand in his way. However much it hurts us to lose him I hope all REAL Wolves fans will thank him and wish him well. Pray the offer for him does not come in.
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17) Mendez-Laing and Batth are tremendous prospects, don’t know too much about the other four. Rooney can’t be….nah!
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Steve Fletcher is a suitable striker to partner Doyle and is within Wolves financial means in terms of transfer fee and wages.
The key to the deal going through may well be the loan of Iwelumo and Hennessey. This is something we can offer, that Burnley want, and our rivals cannot.
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If Blues really are interested, I think they’ll blow our bid out of the water.
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left his future in his agent’s hands……..FFS so its down to the highest bidder then? Sounds like he really wants to be a wolves player…….And dont let doyle go to arsenal, he would only stagnate on the bench playing in the carling cup!
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I just hope he is replacing Maierhoffer and not Doyle !!
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Forget Fletcher, Van Pram, Lawrence, Just watched Robbie Keane, and Kevin Doyle,play for the Republic of Ireland, magnificen, together, A right handfull for many a team sort it Moxey.
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I starting to get irritated with the constant demands for Robbie Keane.
The guy was once a favourite of ours, true, but he plies his trade in a different solar system to the one we inhabit. There’s no way he’s coming back, we cant afford him and, judging by comments in another thread, he was prepared to hype up the potential sale of Doyle to Arsenhole.
Save your energy and be realistic in our pursuit of players for the future.
The club is moving forward at the right pace. Geeze, some people want everything NOW. Today will be a distant memory come 2014, with a well advanced new stadium and a team capable of reaching Europe.
Rome wasn’t built in a day….
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Let’s bring in the few players required in the positions we all know need improving upon.
The players need to be brought in prior to pre-season so they can settle in and fight for there roles on an even keel from the beginnining.Milijas was a prime example MICKO saying he needed pre-season like some of the other lads.This is important for many aspects not only fitness.I am not going to comment on the perspective purchases as no one can say they will do well or not, even great playersare bought by clubs and they end up being DUD.I will however be shouting for MICKO and MOXEY’S head if our new investments also join the DUD’S we bought last season.
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If the comments attributed to Robbie regarding Doyle are correct, then those wishing to see Keano back with us at Molineux can forget it.
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KEANO will never be at the wolves ever.
Keano is a self centered man who will go back to spur’s now that they are in the european cup,if they had not qualified he would have stayed at celtic earning his large DOLLOP.
Which wolves cant match,DOYLER is more of the bully mould (loyal).So he will stay other than a move with the top 5/6 teams he wont move elsewhere.
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Scotwolf… we can stand in his way.
If arsenal want him they can have him for £25million…
He goes we go down simple… forget the new ground, forget everything…
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I hope that he signs and links up with Doyle and not to replace him
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lets all hope that doyle stays and fletcher comes to wolves.and one or two more signings things could turn rossy for the mighty wolves.haa has any one heard the one about no england s1hirts in the pubs when england play i ask my self wot ever next i for one will have mine on WOLVES TILL I DIE
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Think he’s still way overpriced at £7 million but if that’s what you have to pay better move quickly because clearly others are willing to pay it. No to Hooper, Maynard for about the same price has a lot more potential.
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