Holloway Will Be Patient
Blackpool manager, Ian Holloway, says he is prepared to be patient and wait for the current trialists at the club to impress him.
Holloway is currently looking at a few players but has handed full trials to Malaury Martin and former Everton striker, Francis Jeffers. He says he has not made a decision over either and will wait just a little bit longer for them to prove themselves.
Martin has been at the club on trial for some time but Jeffers is a relatively new trialist. He has spent time at a number of Premier League clubs but has not been able to settle down and score the goals that many said would make him an England regular.
Blackpool need players and it's important to take a look at the progress Martin has made during his time at the club and what Jeffers could possibly bring to the table.
Malaury Martin
Martin has now been at Blackpool for a couple of weeks. He seems to have settled in well and taken to the club. He has been playing a full part in pre-season games and training and communication does not seem to be a problem even though he is a native French speaker.
Martin looks as though he is edging closer and closer to a contract with the club. He would add some real quality in the middle of the team for Blackpool and the fact he has not already been released is an indication that the club could be very interested in him.
Holloway said: "It's very difficult. Obviously my French isn't very good as I didn't really do very well at French in school. His English is much better than my French and he's having to learn what I'm saying and I'm not sure if he's getting much of it."
Francis Jeffers
Jeffers looks the less reliable of the pair but he has only been at the club for two days. This unreliability is linked to his past clubs and performances in the Premier League where he has been the centre of many jokes from the fans.
Fitness is going to be the problem with Jeffers because it will take him much longer to get up to the level that Blackpool expect. Holloway will need him fit and strong to start in the team, bully defences and score goals.
He added: "Obviously he's been quality in the past, but things didn't work out for him last year. We've given him a chance to show me what he can do."
There is a massive difference between playing for Sheffield Wednesday who have just been relegated in to League One and playing for Blackpool who will be buzzing from Premier League promotion. The scale of the task may just be too big.
Advice
Blackpool are still the favourites to get relegated next season and although both of these players would give them a better chance of staying up, there is no reason to change this thinking.
The club do not have the budget to attract higher quality players and this means that Blackpool will not be able to match the asking price for many players they would like to sign. They will have to cope with a small and low quality squad.
Clubs are still working out who they will and won't want for the new domestic season and this means it will be a while before players are released or put up for sale. By this time Blackpool will be deep in to their pre-season program and it will be difficult for anyone to come in and have an immediate impact.
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