Source: Bournemouth_Echo
Cherries: Mitchell claims no bids for Brett, but chairman fears sales
EDDIE Mitchell last night quashed reports suggesting Cherries had received a bid for Brett Pitman but admitted his concern at the prospect of the club's emerging squad being weakened.[LNB] Sources close to the Daily Echo claimed Premier League new boys Blackpool were on the verge of making a beat-the-transfer-deadline move for Cherries' star striker.[LNB] And the flames were fanned when Sky Sports followed up by running a story indicating the Seasiders had already tabled an initial bid of £400,000 for Pitman.[LNB] However, when contacted by the Echo, Mitchell confirmed no bids had been received for any of the club's players, although he did say there had been some enquiries.[LNB] The Cherries chairman said the club did not need to sell but added that the Dorset outfit was not in a position to prevent its prized assets from furthering their careers at a higher level.[LNB] Mitchell was speaking after scouts from Championship and Premier League clubs flocked to Dean Court to see Cherries demolish Peterborough 5-1 on Saturday with Pitman bagging a clinical hat-trick.[LNB] And with the transfer window due to shut at the end of the month, Pitman's goalscoring exploits under Howe have made him one of the country's most sought-after strikers.[LNB] Championship clubs Doncaster, Swansea, Watford, Ipswich and QPR are also believed to be keen on the Jerseyman.[LNB] Mitchell said he was very concerned at the possibility of player sales and added: I was made aware that there were a number of scouts at the game on Saturday and any one of our players could be vulnerable after such a superb performance. The fact that so many bigger clubs are looking at our squad speaks for itself.[LNB] If all the decisions were left to me, at this moment in time, I wouldn't entertain talks for any of the players. But football being football, if there were any acceptable bids, we wouldn't want to hold back players.[LNB] If there is interest from a higher level, we are here to help them develop their careers as much as keep together a stable team. In my heart, I would love to keep intact the squad we have at least until the end of the season because I think we could achieve great things.[LNB] Meanwhile, Mitchell also confirmed Cherries had not signed trialist Lyle Taylor, contrary to reports elsewhere.[LNB] Cherries are today expected to discover how much they will have to pay Hereford for Marc Pugh when a Football League transfer tribunal sits in London.[LNB]
