Blackpool chief Ben Mansford recently spoke about his club’s hope in finding value in the upcoming January transfer window, and hinted that a certain Ellis Simms could come onto his radar again.
Blackpool have enjoyed a decent season so far in the Championship. The Seasiders surged up the table through October but haven’t won in the Championship since then, falling down into 17th after three-straight defeats.
Neil Critchley’s side though have been a welcome addition to the Championship – they play a lot of nice football and have pulled off some surprise results, but the goals are somewhat lacking.
His side have scored just 20 of them in their opening 22 league games. Last season’s star man Jerry Yates started slowly but now has five to his name, tied with Shayne Lavery.
READ: The season so far for Blackpool
Last January, the winter window came to Blackpool’s rescue. They brought in a host of quality player that helped them on their way to play-off glory, with Simms being one of them.
The 20-year-old signed in the middle of January and went on to score 10 League One goals during the second half of last season, missing out on the play-off final through injury.
Now though speaking to The Gazette Mansford has made the exciting revelation that he could well turn towards Simms again next month.
He said:
“Ellis will hopefully always have a soft spot for Blackpool and Blackpool will always remember him fondly.
“Everton were really happy with how Ellis developed and how he enjoyed his time here, so if he becomes available, it’s right for us and it’s right for Ellis then we’ll keep you all posted.
“I’m sure he’s a player that will naturally be linked with us and you’re quite rightly going to ask about that because the fans want to know.”
A must-have for Critchley’s Blackpool?
With goals lacking and fears of a potential relegation scrap mounting, Blackpool could well need to make some changes in January in order to ensure a comfortable second half of the campaign.
Goals need to be added to the side, and Simms would give them just that.
He’s featured just once in the Premier League this season, in Everton’s last outing v Chelsea. Simms hasn’t really been a part of Rafa Benitez’s Everton plans and so a loan move could well be considered next month, and Blackpool would be an ideal destination.
One division higher than he was playing last season and at a club whom he knows, with a manager in place who knows how to get the best out of him.
Should the oppurtunity be there for a loan return then Blackpool should certainly go for it with both hands.
