Michael Appleton lays down gauntlet to free agents considering coming to Blackpool

Blackpool’s head coach has made no secret of his side’s desire to bolster their squad with players currently without a club.

Speaking last week, Appleton revealed the club were due to hold talks with former Lincoln City man Liam Bridcutt, who has been training with the Seasiders for the past two weeks.

As yet, a move hasn’t been finalised for the midfielder, who played under Appleton during his time at Sincil Bank.

Blackpool had previously looked to entice Danny Drinkwater to Bloomfield Road but the two sides were unable to come to an agreement, with Appleton recently confirming the deal was “dead in the water”.

Discussing the difficulties Blackpool have faced in scouring the free agent market, Appleton said: “I think there are definitely players who have got the type of quality which means we probably won’t be near the top of their list in terms of clubs they want to join.

“But at the same time, there are probably one or two players on that list who have got quality but it’s whether they have the desire.

“Desire, especially the older you get, goes a long way. Because players can become really comfortable, can earn a lot of money and can be in a good place financially and then they lose that desire to really want to play, get up in the morning and come down to Squires Gate on a freezing cold November or December morning and want to get better.

“That’s quite a big thing for myself, because I don’t care if you’re 19 or 35, I always say to the players when I meet them if you’re prepared to be coached and get better, then this is probably a good club for you.

“If you’re not and you just want to come in and have a small-sided 5-a-side game every day, then this probably isn’t the club for you.

“It’s about getting that balance and recognising where that player is at.”