Grimsby Town close in on exciting swoop for 27-year-old

Grimsby Town are in talks to sign former hero Omar Bogle despite previous denials from Ian Holloway, as reported by Sports World Ghana.

Bogle, who scored 38 goals in 83 outings for the Mariners before a move to Wigan, has often been linked with a return to his former club without a move materialising. Earlier in the summer, Holloway denied reports that he was set to snap up the bustling striker, saying he didn’t want to go backwards.

“I liked him first time around – not this time,” Holloway told Grimsby Live in August. “I like people on their way up. What Grimsby Town got right about him is we took him when he wanted to become something.

“The pay level he has been on since also outstrips us. When you offer someone a lot less money than they were on before at their last jobs, it often doesn’t work.”

However, despite those denials, Sports World Ghana reports that the 27-year-old is indeed in talks about a return to his former club, following his release by Cardiff City. They claim Holloway has failed to grab his intended striker target from Charlton Athletic and has now turned his attentions back to Bogle, who joined Wigan for an undisclosed fee in 2016.

He bagged three times for Wigan in 14 encounters before attracting the attention of Neil Warnock at Cardiff, who paid a reported £1m fee for his services. However, he never impressed for the Bluebirds, scoring just four goals in 21 outings.

He’s spent time out on loan during his time in South Wales, scoring once in nine outings at Peterborough, one in 15 for Birmingham City and four in 12 for Portsmouth. Last season, he appeared five times in the Dutch top flight for Den Haag, without a goal.

How much do you know about the leading scorers in the EFL last season? Find out with our quiz.

Our View

As the transfer window draws nearer, players will have to drop their wages demands and whilst Holloway might want players ‘on the up’, Bogle would be a great signing for Grimsby.

There has been mutterings of discontent around their limited pre-season, but signing a former hero would be a great PR exercise if nothing else. However, despite Bogle’s lack of goals at the higher level, he should do well in League Two and would represent quite a coup for the Mariners.

If they pull it off, this could give them a real kick going into the new campaign.