Downes Hands in Transfer Request
Tuesday, 1st Sep 2020 10:21 Town midfielder Flynn Downes has handed in a transfer request in the wake of Crystal Palace’s second rejected bid.
In July, TWTD revealed that the Eagles were keen on the 21-year-old with sporting director Dougie Freedman having been at Town’s game at Blackpool at the end of February as the Selhurst Park club continued an ongoing watching brief.
After an initial bid of just over £1 million had been turned down, Palace returned for a further offer last week which we understand was below the £2 million reported and was dismissed out of hand.
Now The Athletic is reporting that Downes, who was TWTD readers’ Player of the Year for 2019/20, has handed in a transfer request in the wake of those bids, which we believe to be the case.
Owner Marcus Evans is understood to have no plans to offload any of the club’s prized assets this summer, despite the financial implications of the coronavirus crisis.
And, while every player has his price, Town would want an overall deal, including clauses such as appearance milestones, worth significantly more than the figures currently being reported if they were to sell the Brentwood-born academy product.
Downes, who we understand has recently taken on a new agent, is contracted to the Blues until the summer of 2022 with the club having an option for a further season.
Asked last week whether he would be a Town player this season, Downes responded: “Hopefully, obviously we’ll see. You can never say for sure, but hopefully I will be.”
Quizzed on whether he was aware of any interest, he added: “I’ve heard little bits and bobs but I’m just focusing on the football, that’s all I can say really, I’m focusing on the football and everything else will be taken care of. That’s sort of it.”
West Ham, who Downes supports and who he faced in a friendly at Portman Road last Tuesday, also made their interest known to Town in January, while Fulham are among the other clubs to have been keeping tabs on the schemer. Reports of interest from Arsenal are understood to be wide of the mark.
Photo: Matchday Images
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Bluearmy71 added 14:41 - Sep 1
I miss the days when loyalty mattered and wasn't just flippantly dished out to appease!
Its not just the fact that he wants to go its the fact that with him he takes some of our hope for this season! |  | |
runningout added 15:06 - Sep 1
Not all rosey our end to want hang around with non football people running ship. Downes shouldn't be going for peanuts. If under 4m good clauses required |  | |
GSH71 added 15:14 - Sep 1
Trouble is let's hope the flood gates don't open now , due to his change of mind, | | |
multiplescoregasms added 15:18 - Sep 1
Well this is where ITFC stand when it comes to keeping young talent or attracting players who are out of contract etc. We are what we are, a 3rd tier football club. Seriously, you look at the teams that went up last season, and the teams we will be competing with this season, and you don't really see a club that is on the up. We are just a mid table 3rd tier team. |  | |
warktheline added 16:32 - Sep 1
As ‘Bernie' stated yesterday , we wouldn't be in this situation without Evans, he starved off coronavirus thus saved our club!!!! What he didn't foretell is Ipswich playing conference football, ‘Barmey ' or what? Downes wouldn't have even made the subs bench under Burley's championship side....average at best championship player, another common theme throughout our youth system. The club is sleepwalking! |  | |
WhoisJimmyJuan added 16:46 - Sep 1
Of course if we hadn't got relegated this might not have been an issue. Nor would the other decent youngsters we'd lost. Nice one Paul. Nice one Marcus. | | |
hyperbrit added 18:04 - Sep 1
remember Evans is still asset stripping which is why so little is re-invested in players. | | |
jas0999 added 18:20 - Sep 1
The stark reality is we are a club in decline. How on Earth can we expect to hold on to Downes when for many years the club has lacked ambition? Worse, we should have been challenging for promotion last season - automatic at that. But under the abysmal management of Paul Lambert and the incompetent ownership of Marcus Evans we ended up mid-table, with little to suggest we will fair any better this season.
Even without the new cap and COVID, Evans has proved in recent years that he won't reinvest anyway. Things look bleak and it's tough to keep the faith. | | |
ChrisR added 18:59 - Sep 1
No surprise , who wants to play for Lambert anyway ? | | |
Dolphinblue added 19:26 - Sep 1
This is great news as now Skuse can shine.... | | |
Gcon added 22:57 - Sep 1
We've become such a tin pot outfit under Evans. | | |
eddiespearitt03 added 23:22 - Sep 1
Who would blame any player leaving this club right now ? | | |
Bert added 23:53 - Sep 1
Should we be surprised when agents make millions themselves. Football is a reflection of society that puts self interest before loyalty. We have a Government run by self serving hapless individuals and newspapers that feed on prejudice so no wonder football shares the values of ‘what's in it for me'. I don't blame the boy for listening to his new agent but I despair that those who run football are no better than the politicians who so badly let us down. The world is full of Trumps and Johnsons and we have let it happen. | | |
BigAlsMate added 09:02 - Sep 2
If he doesn't want to stay let him go. At this rate I'll be happy just to survive this season in League 1. Evans & PL get the hell out of our club |  | |
Cheshire_Blue added 16:28 - Sep 2
He is under contract. That should be the end of the story until an offer matches his worth. | | |
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