Stags set to increase club record bid?

Mansfield Town boss Steve Evans admitted his chase for the unnamed player he bid £350,000 may not yet be over and Stags could up their offer.
Mansfield Town manager Steve Evans with chairman John Radford.Mansfield Town manager Steve Evans with chairman John Radford.
Mansfield Town manager Steve Evans with chairman John Radford.

Evans is set to have a meeting tonight with chairman John Radford and chief executive Carolyn Radford to decide what direction to take with their pursuit of the player, believed to be exciting Exeter City prospect Ollie Watkins.

Chad was told the name of the player by a very reliable source, but Evans would not confirm it, saying: “No, of course I can’t. It’s like Wikileaks isn’t it? I don’t know if it’s me or Donald!

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“You have private conversations on a regular basis with different managers and different players and sometimes you get dismayed how they break.

“This is just another one. I don’t really want to talk about Exeter City other than Paul Tisdale is a manager I really like and he’s doing a great job. I don’t really want to talk about his players.”

Click HERE to see why Ollie Watkins is such a hot property

Lomas on Stags column on Stags’ bold bid for Watkins - Click HERE to read

After the initial £350,000 bid had been turned down, it was expected Evans would walk away from it.

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However, he said: “You can never say these things are dead. The chairman would like me to go back, though I am more cautious.

“It’s his money – and he has got enough of it. But I think you set a value.

“You know and I know I could value something at £10 and someone pays £30. That’s entirely their business and not out business.

“But I have another meeting with the chairman and Carolyn tonight, which will probably last a few hours, and, while I have my opinion on values, ultimately I will take his instruction of course.

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“Will we go back with regards to the player? Chances are John Radford may want me to.”

Mansfield are not the only club chasing the player and Evans said: “Speaking to the manager concerned there is definite other interest and people can speak verbally about what they want to do and don’t want to do.

“That can’t concern us. I will sit down with the chairman and if he thinks we want to do something further or something different then that’s what I will do. I will ultimately, as you always do a manager, take his instruction.

“The nice thing is there’s not just one player on the list to make offers for. There’s more than one.

“The chairman and the CEO have been fantastic. They ring me more than I ring them about adding to the group.”