TALKING MOTHERWELL
MOTHERWELL could have blinked and accepted the first decent bid which came in for Louis Moult.
After all, their striker and best player has a year left on a contract he won’t be extending and therefore would leave for nothing in July or for relative pennies come January.
And with every due respect to the Fir Park club, they are hardly in a position to turn down almost anything in terms of more money going into their bank account.
Aberdeen bid a reported £250,000 while Rangers have been sniffing about as well. And why not? Moult is one of the Premiership’s best players. On Saturday, in the win against Hearts, he scored his 40th goal for the club from 73 appearances. He has also contributed more than 20 assists in claret and amber.
These statistics surely demand the bidding begins at £500,000, and even that feels like a bargain. The chip Moult produced just before half-time, an instinctive effort which could not have been placed any better, was sheer class. It was no fluke.
This guy is a top player and Motherwell deserve huge credit for refusing to sell when it would have been understandable to take the cash and run.
They now only have a few more days to go of the transfer window. It would be surprising if at least one more bid wasn’t being prepared.
“Hopefully we’ll manage to keep hold of Louis,” said Ryan Bowman, who scored his first goal at Fir Park courtesy of a knock-down by Moult.
“I think we’ve got a good partnership in training. This is only the third time we’ve played together this season but we’ve been doing really well and hopefully that continues.
“His all-round game sets him apart. His link-up play, his runs behind, obviously he can score goals and he’s physical. It will be vital to keep him because I’d imagine there will be clubs coming in for him. With such a top player like Louis who gets you goals, who wouldn’t take the chance on him? But if we keep him we’ve got a real chance of finishing top six. He sets the benchmark for the other strikers at this club.”
Some l ocals may have feared their hero was saying goodbye when Moult took an age to take a bow after the 2-1 win. But Bowman put them straight. He said: “Louis loves the fans and loves the attention so he went back out afterrwards to milk it.”
MOTHERWELL were e impressive r-on Saturt day once they went behind.
Kyle Lafferty scored a fine e goal to give Hearts the lead d and that woke up the homee side who perhaps should have e scored more. Indeed, a Moultt header in the second halff looked to have crossed the line e but no goal was given.
“All the boys were on it, , we’ve felt confident all week in n training and we knew we e would get a result,” said Bow-w- man. “It’s my first goal at Fir Park and having been here nearly two years I’m due one. I’m delighted.
“I actually think Louis should have scored another. I thought it was over the line, a few of the boys said the same but the only person who didn’t think so was the linesman.”
Hearts need to resolve the head coach position, with Steven Pressley, Paul Hartley and Under-20 coach Jon Daly, who has done himself proud over the last few weeks, seemingly among the front-runners.
“Whatever happens, happens,” said Hearts goalkeeper Jack Hamilton. “The players are there. We just have to go about our job the same every day. But it will be good to see it once it’s done.
“It’s not like someone new has come in and we’re all thinking: what’s going to happen? Whatever happens with the manager situation, the players will deal with that as it comes. comes.”