New Barrow AFC head coach Stephen Clemence has admitted that he hopes former Hull City defender James Chester will commit to extending his time with the club, as per a report in The Mail.
The former Gillingham head coach joined the North-West outfit at the back end of last week and is seemingly wasting no time in wanting to understand the shape of his squad before the transfer window opens this month.
The squad may see a slight rebuild this summer, not only due to the hiring of a new man in the dugout but also due to the hierarchy releasing ten players in their retained list. In that list, however, they also confirmed that they were in talks over deals with two players.
One of those that the club seemingly wish to keep hold of for the upcoming campaign is James Chester. The central defender was an integral part of the Barrow squad that narrowly missed out on the play-offs last term having been in the top seven for the majority of the season.
The new head coach has worked with the Welsh international previously, during stints at both Hull, where the 35-year-old played over 170 matches, as well as Premier League side Aston Villa. He has now admitted that he wishes to keep Chester at the club.
“I will speak to Chezzie (Chester) in the coming days,” the 46-year-old told The Mail. “Obviously, I worked with Chezzie at Hull and Aston Villa and he’s been a top-class defender, and he is a top-class human being as well.”
“I spoke to him when we played them last season. He’s a good lad so he’s someone we want to speak to about staying with the club.”
Although the transfer window has not technically opened yet, and most player contracts do not expire until the end of June, if this is a deal the former Gillingham man wishes to get done, time may be of the essence, with some EFL clubs choosing to do their business early in the free agent market.
Writer’s View
James Chester showed throughout last season that age was simply a number and he was able to perform still to a high level. Although the side narrowly missed out on the play-offs this term, it seems likely that will be the minimum aim for next season.
With a new dawn at the club now beginning following the departure of Pete Wild, an experienced head like Chester’s may be exactly what Barrow need to shrug off their disappointment and go again in August.
