Could today's game be the last time we see Nottingham Forest target Josh Bowler in a Blackpool shirt?

The 23-year-old continues to be heavily linked with a host of clubs, with Nottingham Forest believed to be at the front of the queue.

Bournemouth, Fulham and Watford are also said to be taking an interest in Blackpool’s star player.

Forest recently had a £2.5m bid knocked back for the winger, with the club reportedly holding out for £4m plus extras.

The Seasiders have back-to-back home games to play, with Blackburn Rovers also due to visit on Wednesday night, before the transfer window shuts at 11pm on Thursday.

Appleton concedes he can’t guarantee Bowler will still be a Blackpool player when his side make the trip to Huddersfield Town next weekend.

“There’s no guarantees with anything, that’s why you’ve got to have such an open and fluid way of dealing with the last week of the window,” he said.

“Clearly as a coach I want Josh to stay because he’s one of our best players, if not our best player.

“He’s a big, big reason why the club stayed in the division last year, it’s hard to get away from that. For us to make sure we retain our Championship status he could play a huge part in that.

“Yes I’d love him to stay but again, there’s no guarantees that could happen.”

When asked if Bowler has expressed a desire to leave, Appleton added: “I’ve spoken to Josh a couple of times and to be fair to him he’s very football orientated. He’s got advisors and he’ll speak to the board about various things.

“I believe it was close to happening in January but from my point of view I think it’s important to keep it football-based between me and Josh.

“For me, I just need to know his head is in the right place, he’s ready to play and he’s concentrated. From all the conversations we’ve had, they’ve very much been down those lines, so he’s good to go.

“He knows he’s got people dealing with the business side of things so it’s up to me and him to make sure he’s ready to play.”

When asked if he’ll play this afternoon, Appleton added: “100 per cent, yeah.”