Two new players to join for pre-season training?

Last updated : 04 July 2007 By The Chairman
Athletic begin their pre-season training on Friday and if John Sheridan has his way, there will be two new faces to join the existing squad at Boundary Park. Offers have already been made for a defender and a midfield player. There is no guarantee that Richie Wellens will still be an Athletic player as Simon Blitz (pictured) has stated that his wages would be stretching the budget too far which speaks for itself, although he admitted that Chris Porter's decision to join Motherwell will not affect Athletic financially for the upcoming season.

Blitz explained, "The budget had been agreed for this season, but I will be looking to claw back some of the money we have lost next season. We had been hoping to get about £500,000 for Porter, and of that Bury would have been entitled to £100,000 as their sell-on clause. I don't blame Porter's representative, his job is to get the best deal for his man, but I am disappointed with Porter because he could have stood up and said he wanted to move to a Championship club, which would have rewarded both ourselves and Bury who have developed him."

"If something similar happens in the future then, unfortunately I will have no choice but to take the money. If I had done that in January I would have been accused of lacking ambition by selling one of our top players. But there was no suggestion then that Porter would be moving to Scotland. As they say, hindsight is an easy thing. But is no use looking back as there is nothing we can do to change the situation. It is in the past now and we have to look forward."

Motherwell boss Mark McGhee spoke out and said, "We were able to, I think the best expression is, exploit the rules, which enabled us to bring Chris here. We are very pleased because we feel as if we have got a player who in normal circumstances we probably wouldn't have been able to sign. Now he is here I hope he scores goals for us. I spoke to Simon on Sunday and, as much as he is disappointed at losing such a good player for nothing, I had a very sensible and very controlled conversation with him and there's no problem in the end between the two clubs. I think you only have to look at the number of games Chris played last season, 40 games. So I don't think he has got any injury problems. All players at some stages do have injuries. Chris has had a thorough medical and we have had a thorough look at him. His playing record speaks for itself. Whatever injuries he has had are in the past."

Porter likened his move to another former Latics player as Chris Killen made a similar move to Scotland. Porter confessed, "I know Chris and he has done very well for himself. A lot of people say that if you do well, without disrespecting the club, at smaller clubs, then you maybe get a chance to play for the Old Firm clubs, so that was a big factor. I am delighted to be here and looking forward to a fresh challenge."

He was scathing about the way the Athletic made his injury history public and added, "I don't see why they had to put things in like that, especially naming the specific injuries. Most of it was fact, some maybe not, and it's up to them what they want to put on the website. I had an injury in the first year I was there and that played on me quite a bit through the first season but that's gone now. I got through most of last season injury-free, it was just towards the end I had a bit of a niggle. I fancied a change and Motherwell came in for me. I'm just looking out for myself and hopefully people at Oldham aren't too unhappy with me. I was there two years and thought I had done a lot for them. I helped get them in the play-offs last year and I just needed a fresh start. I hope the bad feelings don't last too long, hopefully I can get on well with them in the future."

Going off the fans recent reactions as the stories unfolded - I doubt it Chris!