Peterborough United boss Darren Ferguson has admitted that he expected the rumours flying around the club about possible outgoings in January and confessed that one player would not be replaced if he were to leave.
Speculation is rife that Jonson Clarke-Harris will depart London Road this winter, having seen a six-figure move to Bristol Rovers collapse on Deadline Day. The Gas may no longer be in for him- Joey Barton has moved on, but it is expected the former Rotherham striker will leave.
Defender Ronnie Edwards may well also depart; he’s been catching the eye of scouts from higher up the Football League, with West Ham interested over the summer. Ferguson admitted such talk is all part and parcel of being in charge of Posh.
“There will be rumours flying around this club regularly now,” Ferguson told Peterborough Today. “But we are accustomed to it, and we just get on with things”.
Ferguson, in his fourth spell as Peterborough manager, admitted he would rather both Edwards and Clarke-Harris leave early in the window. The club would replace their star defender, but the situation is different for the striker, who has scored 81 goals in four seasons with the club.
“If we do lose players, and Ronnie and Jonno are the obvious ones, we would be better off losing them early in January.
“Jonno won’t be replaced as we signed players when we thought he was going in the summer, but we would have to look at the situation if Ronnie left.”
Another player who could depart the League One promotion hopefuls is defender Peter Kioso. He’s on loan from Championship side Rotherham, but there’s a recall clause in his contract. Rotherham are currently going through a manager change, but previous manager Matt Taylor had suggested there was a chance he could be heading back to the New York Stadium
“We are also keeping an eye on Peter Kioso’s situation because there is a call-back on him.”
Ferguson’s side are currently fifth in the League One table with 31 points, just four points behind second-placed Oxford, albeit having played a game more. The three players have all been regular starters for the side – Clarke-Harris has started 12 of their League One matches, Kioso 16 and Edwards has been ever-present with 17 starts.
Writer’s View
Posh fans could be forgiven for thinking this transfer window will weaken the side. Clarke-Harris has been a key figure this season, and to hear he won’t be replaced dif he leaves must be a bit of a blow. He hasn’t been as prolific as in previous seasons, but 12 starts and four goals is still a decent return.
Edwards has been linked with a move away for a while now, and should he depart, there would be significant profit for the club to reinvest. The same goes for Clarke-Harris, which is the Peterborough model. They’ve done supremely well in player trading over the past ten or fifteen years, and nobody should be surprised they’re already discussing departures.
The big question is, which gems are they eyeing from League Two and below to polish up and sell for a big profit next?
