4 Blackpool FC transfer matters that Neil Critchley will have to deal with very soon | OneFootball

The 2021/22 Championship campaign was full of positives for Blackpool and the task facing Neil Critchley this summer is ensuring that they capitalise on that momentum.

A 16th place finish in their first season back in the second tier is impressive but there were points when the North West club were battling for a place in the top six.

Even so, next season’s target should be to continue to establish themselves in the Championship with anything beyond that viewed as a success.

A strong summer window will be needed for Blackpool to really make the most of their progress this term and with that in mind, we’ve highlighted four transfer matters that Critchley will have to deal with very soon…

The 12-month extension clause in Josh Bowler’s contract was triggered by the club earlier this week but that won’t be the last we hear of the situation.

Nottingham Forest and Fulham were both reportedly interested in January and we can expect some more attention in the summer.

Even with the extension, Bowler’s contract is up at the end of the 2022/23 campaign and Critchley will likely have to deal with interest from elsewhere once the transfer window opens.

He’ll want to have an idea from the club chiefs what sort of offer they would accept for the winger and have some contingency plans in place.

Talking of contingency plans, Blackpool will have to look for alternatives to Ebou Adams after the midfielder’s move to Cardiff City was confirmed this week.

Adams helped Forest Green Rovers win promotion to League One and claim the League Two title in 2021/22 but left the South West club as a free agent at the end of the season.

It was reported by Lancashire Live in April that Blackpool had made Adams a contract offer but their move has been hijacked by the Bluebirds.

Critchley and co. now need to turn their attention to finding an alternative to the 26-year-old.

Sorting out the Charlie Kirk situation

The Championship club had an option to buy inserted in the loan deal that saw Charlton Athletic winger Charlie Kirk spend the second half of the season at Bloomfield Road but have not triggered it.

However, the South London Press has reported that Blackpool are still working on a deal to sign the winger permanently.

The reported fee for the option to buy was £500,000 so it may be a case of trying to lower that.

It’s a situation that will likely need to be sorted soon, not least because other clubs may look to capitalise if they feel a cut-price deal is there to be done.

Quiz: Which club did Blackpool FC sign these 24 players from in the 2000s?

1 of 24

Paul Simpson

Carlisle United Wrexham Notts County Wolverhampton Wanderers

Making the most of the free agent market

There are some fantastic players out of contract this summer in all three EFL divisions but clubs will have move fast to make sure they don’t miss out.

Blackpool have already seen Adams join Cardiff and they run the risk of losing other targets if they don’t act quickly enough.

They obviously shouldn’t be making any panic signings at this point but nor should they miss out on making the most of what is a strong class of new free agents heading into the summer.