Swindon Town boss Michael Flynn has pulled the club out of the battle to sign Bradford City striker Jake Young.
Young would spend the first half on loan with Swindon, playing 25 matches in League Two and netting 16 times. Adding a further four assists to that tally, the forward would be directly involved in 43% of the club’s goals so far this season.
The loss of the 22-year-old alongside MK Dons loanee Dan Kemp, who scored a further 14 goals for the club, will no doubt have a detrimental affect on Flynn’s side in the second half of the season. Now without their two main sources of both goals and creativity, it could be a tough few months for the Robins.
Unsurprisingly, Bradford City recalled Young almost immediately, once the January window had opened, something that Swindon fans would’ve no doubt seen coming. However despite his stock value currently being at it’s highest, Bradford manager Graham Alexander insisted that Jake Young “Is not a player we’re looking to sell” ,last week.
Despite those comments, numerous rumours have appeared in the last few days about the striker’s future. League One outfits Port Vale and Exeter City have both joined the hunt to acquire the services of the striker, with the likelihood of Young leaving Valley Parade in January ever-increasing.
One team who have been ruled out of the hunt for the striker are Swindon Town. It is believed that the asking price that Bradford have put on Young is too high for the club and despite many memorable moments for the Robins, the striker will not be returning.
Speaking to the Swindon Advertiser about the loans of both Young and Kemp, manager Michael Flynn said:
“What I will say is that there is no chance of getting Jake Young in terms of his transfer fee. Because of the amount of time he has got left on his contract and his age.”
“I would say that if Jake Young goes then it is going to be to a high-end League One or Championship club because of the money involved.”
“With Daniel (Kemp) we have tried on numerous occasions to turn it into a permanent and to extend it (the loan) but to no avail.
“I would love to have those two here, but the reality is that they won’t be.”
Writer’s View
It’s certainly not something that Swindon fans would’ve wanted to happen in the January window, but it seemed fairly obvious that both Young and Kemp would return to their parent clubs. It will be a very different second half of the season for the Robins and they may indeed struggle for goals during that period.
As for Young’s future, like Flynn said, he seems destined for League One or maybe even the Championship. All of the teams towards the top half of the League One table should be monitoring the current situation of the 21-year-old as he’d bring plenty of goals which could help in a promotion push. This isn’t the last that will be heard regarding Young’s future, as he is one of the most talked about players this January.
