Blackpool keeper Doyle on sale for a pound

One of Blackpool's top performers could sensationally quit Bloomfield Road this summer ... for just a quid.
Colin DoyleColin Doyle
Colin Doyle

Keeper Colin Doyle was many people’s choice for player of the year and, along with Tom Aldred, was rated as the best of a bad bunch last season.

Despite having another year on his contract at Blackpool, it’s believed relegation to League Two triggers a clause in Doyle’s contract which could allow any team to buy him for a transfer fee of £1.

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Another contract clause will result in the 30-year-old Irishman – and other members of Neil McDonald’s squad – suffering a cut in wages from on July 1.

Doyle is set to be a target for several League One clubs this summer. Whenever free from injury, he was Pool’s first-choice keeper last season and made 36 appearances, often impressing under pressure.

Last week Pool announced a retained list of 16 players – 10 more than last year’s – which appeared to give the club a head start ahead of their first season in the bottom flight since 2000-2001.

But The Gazette understands several of those players are discussing possible moves, with defender Aldred interesting a host of clubs in higher divisions.

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Signed from Accrington in January last year, Aldred is contracted to Pool for next season but would be allowed to leave should a suitable cash offer be made.

And with manager Neil McDonald’s future very much in the balance, uncertainty still surrounds the club after a week of silence.

Chairman Karl Oyston was at Bloomfield Road on Monday to continue his restructuring of the club following relegation, with wide-ranging cuts expected this summer.

Like McDonald, Oyston has remained silent since the release of a statement from the club’s ‘board’ nine days ago apologising for relegation.

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Pool released six out-of-contract players last week and allowed five more to return to their parents clubs at the end of loan deals, meaning McDonald’s squad is currently around 10 short.

David Norris was the only out-of-contract player offered a new deal at the club, though the former Leeds and Plymouth midfielder is yet to decide on his future.

None of the six players released by Pool have yet been snapped up.

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