Blackpool rivals Bolton forced into transfer rethink by Peterborough as Birmingham plot move for Championship captain

The Bloomfield faithful will be hoping for a few more new arrivals ahead of their season-opener against Crawley on August 10.

But while Seasiders wait to see what the boss’ next move will be, plenty of their rivals are putting plans in place on the transfer front.

Here’s the latest transfer developments from Blackpool’s third-tier rivals.

Bolton forced to make playmaker U-turn

Ian Evatt’s hopes of landing influential Peterborough playmaker Joel Randall look to be over.

The Bolton boss has reportedly been tracking the Posh attacking midfielder all summer, with several bids supposedly lodged for the 24-year-old.

However, according to Football Insider, Wanderers’ pursuit of the former Exeter City man has come to an end as they refuse to meet the asking price their League One rivals have placed on the player.

Bolton are keen to bolster their attacking options after last season’s promotion hopes fell short at the League One play-off final stage, where they lost out to Oxford United.

Randall was considered an ideal option following 12 goals and 11 assists for Posh as they finished fourth.

Birmingham eye move for Stoke captain

Birmingham are being linked with a move for Stoke captain Josh Laurent.

Several reports claim the St Andrew’s outfit have identified the vastly-experienced midfielder to to lead them automatically back to the Championship.

Laurent, 29, is now into the final 12 months for his Potteries contract, having moved to the bet365 Stadium from Reading in 2022.

He has featured 69 times in the league for Stoke during that time, but is someone boss Steven Schumacher is prepaered to let leave as he looks to put his stamp on the squad he inherited in December.

Birmingham have already made four signings during the current transfer window, with Hearts ful-back Alex Cochrane expected to be their fifth.

However, it’s unclear whether Laurent would be willing to drop down to League One with several teams abroad also reportedly interested.