January transfer window...

[BWFC_Insane]

Wenger has said he would prefer Vela to go on loan in the Premiership but they have offers from several Prem clubs as well as French and Spanish ones.

Hint is that Vela himself might prefer Spain but I guess we'll see.

I'd have thought we'd have a good chance.

However, apparently Bentley is available on loan from Spurs and if so I'd hope we'd be in there!

[thebish]

However, apparently Bentley is available on loan from Spurs and if so I'd hope we'd be in there!

now I understand the "insane" part!

[Gary the Enfield]

Don't be obsessed with young

I can't help it. I have posters of both Luke and Ashley on my bedroom wall.

In fact, every night I point to the poster of Luke and say, "doesn't he look young to you?"

God, I wish I didn't believe you !!!

Why?

Let's not be ashamed of our admiration for the Youngs. A fine family.

Musical pedigree, too, with Neil, his son Paul and grandson Will. I have posters of them, and all. Slightly stained, now, of course, but posters nonetheless

Then there's Chung Yo(u)ng Lee. Happy to help.

[Ianmooreslovechild]

When bentley broke into the England team he looked like he could be the next Beckham,great delivery. Seems to have gone backwards since but would be interesting to see what Coyle could get out of him. However we already have 2 players in his position both of whom are better at beating a man.

[officer_dibble]

Bentley is one of them that needs to get away from London

And bar his missus from twatter as well

Problem with all these players is the wages aint it......they are at Spurs, City, Arsenal et al cos they can be paid big bucks for doing f*ck all....then they realise 'hey i actually want to play football' after a year or so of sitting on their arse. Bentley on form would be a good signing, but he';; be on what, 60/70k a week? we probs could afford a small percentage of that and is that enough to get the club to release the player?

With Wilshere and Weiss we got them in cos we could afford their wages....not sure if Vela fits into that category or not, but more likely than Bentley. And our attack does need a break...I'd have him if we could get him (vela I mean).

Plenty of others kicking about who aren't getting football.....the two Diarra's at Real Madrid...wouldn't mind one of them for centre mid, and Drenthe as well I think has fallen out of favour there and is on a free. I don't envy Coyle actually with our budget, got to be one of the lowest in the league, and we're trying to compete with teams like Newcastle, Everton, even bloody B@astard Rovers now with more money....

[TKIZ!]

Drenthe would be a great shout, if we could afford him

[jaffka]

bentley to birmingham

[mullayo]

2.2m reported on ESPN almost a done deal.
Been a fan of getting him for a while. 6ft6 and 23 former striker and goal scorer- sounds like Cahill all over- , replacement for O'Brien. Raw but has potential. Bargain.

[jmjhb]

He can play right-back as well.

[Choppers]

Wheater and Vela in, whilst keeping our entire first team together and I'd be kinda happy to be honest. What more could we really want?

The ESPN article :

Reports from Alan Nixon in the Daily Mirror suggest that a deal to sign Middlesbrough centre back David Wheater is in advanced stages-and that the outcome has little bearing on whether Gary Cahill departs this month.

Aged only 23-years old, David Wheater has been about for quite a while now, breaking through the semi-successful Boro academy at an early age.

Having entertained the England bench a couple of times already, Wheater was once a hot prospect, even touted as a future successor to John Terry as the ‘big man’ centre-back. But since Boro’s relegation in 2009, Wheater has dropped out of the limelight, and failed to reproduce the form that once made him a wanted man.

With just six months on his contract, and Boro unlikely to gain promotion, it looked likely that Wheater would leave on a free. However with interest from several Premier League teams, (including Wolves who the centre-back once played for in a short-lived loan deal), Owen Coyle decided to act and made an offer believed to be in the region of 2.25M.

Whilst Wheater might not be the same player he was three years ago, he is young enough to turn his career around.

His presence at the back would provide much needed competition, with Andy O’Brien leaving the club last week, and the news that the deal does not hinge on Cahill’s future is a welcome bonus.

Given Wheater’s strength and stature, his role may be more suited to partnering Cahill, and Knight will no doubt have to keep one eye over his shoulder.

Whilst the move might not be seen as 'glamorous', it is a step in the right direction. Young, English talent is always welcome at the Reebok, and at a cut-price, it could be another fantastic bargain for the club.

Elsewhere, a deal for Carlos Vela is not dead, but the Whites face stiff competition from around ten clubs according to Arsene Wenger.

Whilst there has been interest from Spain and France, it is believed Wenger would rather the Mexican front-man ply his trade in the Premier League.

Given his history with Owen Coyle, and Jack Wilshere’s successful loan spell at the Reebok last year, we may be near the top of the list.

The one sticking point though will be who can provide Vela with most game time, and whether Bolton can do that, with Elmander, Davies and Klasnic already fighting it out for places up front, is another question, and one that may hinder our chances of bringing the player in.

Bringing in a player of Vela’s quality on loan would never be a bad deal for the club, and if that avenue opens for us, adding a body to the squad can only be a positive. Equally, if we fail to entice him to the club, given the attacking options we already possess, it will not be the biggest loss.

With York City tomorrow, the Wanderers must look to get back to winning ways, the FA Cup is a special competition, and one that Bolton Wanderers have much history in. It has been too long since we’ve had a decent cup run, and whilst finishing in the top ten would be a wonderful achievement for the club, a run into the latter stages of the FA Cup might be the spark that ultimately brings the fans back to the Reebok.

The first few rounds of the cup are often treated with contempt by the fans, but history suggests that a cup run is something Wanderers fans covet- just look at the fond way the cup-runs under Bruce Rioch are spoken about. It might not be as glamorous, but getting on those runs starts tomorrow and we must pass the test.

[mullayo]

Isn't Alan Nixon an anagram for Owen Coyle somehow? It's his alter ego like Jekyll and Hyde. So done deal.
Happy about it. I've been keen for him two years. Apparently he's regressed along with the rest of Boro but he can be salvaged. People say he'll fill the Zat role of beanpole but I think he could come in and learn things off both of them. Zat has transformed himself and is the perfect rolemodel for Wheater.

The former striker has what Knight doesn't the goal-scoring knack. The game I saw him play he scored three I think??? One own goal???

Oh and Vela has been my favourite FM player for years. I saw him dominate a FIFA under-16 World Cup. Creative and cheeky would be a fan favourite and someone on the same page as Lee.

[thebish]

Isn't Alan Nixon an anagram for Owen Coyle somehow? It's his alter ego like Jekyll and Hyde. So done deal.
Happy about it. I've been keen for him two years. Apparently he's regressed along with the rest of Boro but he can be salvaged. People say he'll fill the Zat role of beanpole but I think he could come in and learn things off both of them. Zat has transformed himself and is the perfect rolemodel for Wheater.

The former striker has what Knight doesn't the goal-scoring knack. The game I saw him play he scored three I think??? One own goal???

Anal inn ox....

[Ianmooreslovechild]

Wheater would be a great signing but as mentioned above he's not going to be lightening quick over the first few yards.May have implications for how the defense is set up should he be partnering Knight.
Vela,still seems less than essential to me but would certainly make things interesting.Can he play wide left?I suppose if he's quick and has 2 good feet he can play anywhere.

[TKIZ!]

Vela has played in the left of a front three for Arsenal. Seen him play there against Sheff Utd in the cup last season and I think he chipped the keeper.

I'd be happy with the Wheater deal but I honestly don't know where we've got the money from unless it's the first installment of the Sky money + AOB deal?

[Lord Kangana]

If we sign the pair, I'm not asking any questions. Unless we sell someone, and theres your answer.

[TKIZ!]

If we sign the pair, I'm not asking any questions. Unless we sell someone, and theres your answer.

Thanks LK

[mullayo]

Vela is left footed IIRC and can play left wing or amc.

I'd shift Samuels, Joey OB and Sean Davis if I could their wages would be killing us. But they'll probably get the money from El Habsi, O'Brien and Elmander going???

Getting "Inn Ox" out of "Nixon took half an hour but once Bish realised "Alan" could be turned into "anal" he was hooked.

[Ianmooreslovechild]

Vela is left footed IIRC and can play left wing or amc.

I'd shift Samuels, Joey OB and Sean Davis if I could their wages would be killing us. But they'll probably get the money from El Habsi, O'Brien and Elmander going???

Getting "Inn Ox" out of "Nixon took half an hour but once Bish realised "Alan" could be turned into "anal" he was hooked.

You won't get a bean for those 3 till they're fit and working again shich in 2 cases seems possibly never, in which case you'd be asking them to get signed off and let the insurance take a hit.It's unfortunate for all concerned but these long term injured players who would struggle to get near the first team even when fit are something of a ball and chain

[ohjimmyjimmy]

Vela has played in the left of a front three for Arsenal. Seen him play there against Sheff Utd in the cup last season and I think he chipped the keeper.

He chipped the keeper? oh my god....!

[mullayo]

I know but we've show Davis, Gardner and JOB in particular great loyalty. I hope there is some form of insurance paying their wages.
Samuel we need to get rid of. We already bought his young replacement.