BIG BEN ON RADAR AS COLLINS HEADS FOR THE TOP FLIGHT
Potters defender set for Burnley move as O’neill closes in on Watford man to reinforce back line
STOKE City are lining up Watford and England under-21s centre-back Ben Wilmot as they prepare for Nathan Collins to head to the Premier League.
An initial £12m deal with add-ons has been agreed with Burnley for 20-year-old Collins, who joined Stoke as a 15-year-old from Dublin youth side Cherry Orchard.
Top-flight clubs have been watching his progress and development, but it has been Burnley who have stepped up their interest over the last few months.
Sean Dyche sees the Republic of Ireland junior international as a successor to James Tarkowski and he will link up with former Potters Phil Bardsley and Erik Pieters at Turf Moor.
Michael O’neill is moving quickly to find his replacement and Wilmot, aged 21, is expected to join for up to £2m on a four-year contract.
Wilmot has been with Watford for three seasons since joining from Stevenage for £1m and has spent time out on loan at Udinese and Swansea, who he helped reach the Championship play-offs in 2019/20.
He was a fixture in a back three under Vladimir Ivic in the first half of the campaign just finished but fell down the pecking order when Xisco Munoz arrived as new manager in December and reverted to a back four.
He helped Watford equal a club record for fewest goals conceded in a season – just 30 in 46 games – as they won promotion to the Premier League but is entering the final 12 months of his contract and is keen for regular action.
Collins will set a new high for Stoke in terms of selling an academy graduate, still standing at the £2.25m cashed for Andy Griffin from Newcastle United back in 1998.
He had become the club’s youngest
captain when he was handed the armband at the age of 18 by Nathan Jones in early 2019/20 and emerged as a first team regular under O’neill, impressing at centre-half and rightback over the winter.
His season ended in March when he fractured bones in his foot landing awkwardly at Norwich but he has been working at Clayton Wood to be ready for the start of pre-season, while speculation spiralled about where his long-term future lay.
Ryan Woods is expected to complete a permanent move to Birmingham City this week after spending a season-and-a-half on loan at Gary Rowett’s Millwall.
Team GB women’s football Olympics send-off match against Zambia, which was scheduled to take place at the bet365 Stadium on Thursday, July 1, has been called off.
Zambia, who have also been preparing for the Tokyo Games, have been forced to pull out due to complications linked to Covid-19 restrictions. Tickets will be refunded.
Steve Bould has officially left Arsenal, 33 years since he joined from Stoke for a bargain £390,000, excepting a brief spell at Sunderland before hanging up his boots.
The former defender from Blurton won the title three times as a player before becoming a highly-respected coach, working alongside Arsene Wenger at first team level for seven years before returning to oversee the under-23s in 2019.
Academy manager Per Mertesacker said: “Steve has been a fantastic servant for us on and off the pitch. His record as a player speaks for itself and he has been an inspiration to generations of young players coming through the academy.
“This has been a very hard decision to make. Steve’s contribution to the under-23s and the club as a whole has been huge and he will always be an important figure in our history.”