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Archived News from June 2002

HOT-SHOT MYSTERY
28th June 2002 16:48


HOT-SHOT MYSTERY
Evening Post, 28 June 2002
Mystery surrounds the future of Mansfield Town's star striker Chris Greenacre.
Greenacre, who scored 21 league goals for the Stags last season in helping them to promotion to Division Two, saw out his contract at Field Mill at the end of the season.
This entitled him to a free transfer under the Bosman ruling but, with Stags players due to report back for training on Monday, no club has handed the 24-year-old a solid offer.
Stags boss Stuart Watkiss believes it is unlikely Greenacre will be back at Field Mill but would be happy to welcome him back.
He was attempting to contact the striker yesterday.
Greenacre has failed to return phone calls from the Evening Post.
Watkiss said: "I wouldn't have thought Chris would be back here next season but I have been trying to get in contact with him.
"There is no doubt that I would welcome him back but we would need to sort out some sort of agreement for him to do that."
A host of clubs have been rumoured to be interested, including both Nottingham Forest and Notts County.
Paul Hart watched Greenacre on a number of occasions and obvious conclusions were drawn when Billy Dearden, the man who took him to Field Mill from Manchester City, moved to Notts County.
Greenacre had been expected to go to Bradford City, but that move looks to have been scuppered after the Bantams went into administration.
Sheffield Wednesday, where Greenacre refused to go after the Owls had a £400,000 bid for the player accepted in January, have also been linked with the forward, but they appear to have solved their striker problems by signing Leon Knight from Chelsea on a one-year loan.
Meanwhile, Luton Town boss Joe Kinnear, a great admirer of Greenacre, has elected to sign former Hatters hero Tony Thorpe instead and Sheffield United look to be turning their attentions to former Stags striker Iffy Onuora and Tranmere's Wayne Allison.
Millwall, another club linked with the striker, have now concentrated their efforts on signing Brentford's Lloyd Owusu.
Meanwhile, Knight, an England Under-20s international who scored 17 goals on loan at Second Division Huddersfield last season, could make his debut for the Owls at Forest on August 17 after missing the opening two games of the Division One season through suspension.
Stags have made three changes to their fixtures.
The home clash with Colchester United, which was due to take place on Saturday, November 2, has been brought forward a day.
The return fixture, which was due to be played on Saturday, February 15 has been brought forward a day and the Stags' trip to Cardiff on March 22, will now be played a day earlier, to avoid a clash with a rugby match.


 

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