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Calling a recent report on failed attempts to lure Andre Blake to England a “non-story,” Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin maintains that the club has not received any formal offers for the star goalkeeper.
“Different things come up, agents come up with different ideas to benefit their players and it’s a situation where nothing concrete came from the clubs that were listed,” Curtin said in his weekly press conference on Wednesday.
The report, published on Goal.com on Monday, stated that two English Premier League clubs - Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion - were preparing multi-million dollar offers for Blake but that neither would be successful because Jamaica’s low FIFA rating would prevent Blake from getting a U.K. work permit.
Response to the report from fans centered on Jim Curtin’s comments from just before the Gold Cup final in July when he noted that they hadn’t received any phone calls from clubs with offers.
“People are trying to piece together a timeline like we’re being deceptive in this situation,” Curtin said Wednesday. “In my 17 years of professional soccer I can’t think of a benefit of us lying in this case and it kind of does bother me in terms of integrity. I can sit up here and take bullets for different things and decisions that are made but to kind of accuse or maybe mention that we’re withholding something is a different story and it kind of upsets you a little bit.”
Blake has another year left on his contract and for the time being is part of the club’s plans for 2018.
“If you’re talking about guys that we want around and want to be part of this thing and deserves to stay around in a deal he’d be a guy we’re certainly very happy with in his terms of his season,” Curtin said.