Eaves is hot property

Latics manager Paul Dickov realises that he has a hot property on his hands after Tom Eaves hit a hat trick in Athletic's midweek 3-0 win over Premier League Bolton Wanderers but he is adamant that the 18 year old striker will not be let go on the cheap. Dickov explained, "It is going to cost somebody a hell of a lot of money to sign him because I don't know an 18-year-old playing first-team football who is like Tom Eaves. There has been speculation about Tom, but there is nothing I can do about that. It is no secret the club's financial position is not great and if a bid is made for any of my players it will have to be considered. It will take a lot of money to prise away any of the players I want to keep."

"I am delighted for the big man as he works ever so hard in training. He is a man in stature and size, but still only a baby aged 18 so we have to look after him. Tom needed a goal, even in training, as he had become frustrated for failing to find the net. He deserves his hat trick because he has worked ever so hard, and so have the coaching staff with him since we arrived at the club."

"I have told the players not to get carried away and we need to keep progressing and be bang on it against Tranmere a week on Satursday. We must not think that we are a good team all on a sudden because if we do we have problems. We spoke to the players before the match about the standards they had set themselves against Burnley and Wigan, but which dipped against Falkirk. We told the players it is what we do, and not about the teams we play against whatever level they are at. If we do things right then we are a half-decent team, and I was delighted with our performance.”

“Even if we had lost, I would still have been pleased with our performance. We worked hard as a team and defended well against a big team which causes clubs in the Premier League a lot of trouble. Our passing was good and to get three goals is a bonus, though it was not the result but the performance which pleased us. It is not about tonight but what we do against Tranmere a week on Saturday which counts."