Williams looks set to stay at Exeter

WINGER Randell Williams looks likely to leave Exeter City on a free transfer at the end of his contract in the summer after his stress fracture of the fibula is set to scupper any January departure.

The 24-year-old looked to be on the verge of leaving in September when a bid from Peterborough United was accepted by the Grecians, but Williams turned down the chance to move.

And with the injury picked up in training prior to the Sheffield Wednesday FA Cup game ruling him out for six weeks, boss Matt Taylor said that it was unlikely any club would swoop on him in the transfer window and that it was likely they’d lose him at the end of the 2020/21 campaign when his contract expires.

“Realistically the injury rules out a move in this window as he’s not fit and won’t be fit for a number of weeks,” Taylor said. “He’s a couple weeks into the injury but he is walking with a crutch at the moment, and then we’ll have to build him back to fitness.

“It’s not ideal for him and ideal for a manager’s point of view as he is missing games and he is a valuable player, and realistically, we know more than likely we might lose him at the end of this season.

“But at least if he gets fit again towards February time we know we might have him for a certain amount of games.”

Taylor added: “We accepted a bid back in September which was a decent amount of money and the player himself turned that down and we certainly didn’t force the player to move because the club, on the back of the Ollie Watkins money, is in financially a stable position. There’s no pressure to sell, and with a big percentage going to Watford it wouldn’t have been a huge amount, certainly at this late stage when his contract’s running down.

“It looks like we will have him for the rest of the season, but we cannot rush him to get fit again, and hopefully he’ll be available for a large chunk of games, but when that will be, I’m not sure at the moment.”