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Bialkowski's Millwall Loan Switch "at 99 Per Cent" as Blues Close in on Elliott Loan
Monday, 29th Jul 2019 11:17

Town keeper Bartosz Bialkowski’s switch to Millwall is 99 per cent agreed and will be a season-long loan, according to the Polish media, as the Blues continue to progress their move for Lions striker Tom Elliott, also on loan.

Jaroslaw Kolinski, of Polish newspaper PrzeglÄ…du Sportowego, has tweeted that the deal which will see Bialkowski return to the Championship is all but done.

As TWTD was first to reveal yesterday, talks regarding reviving the 32-year-old’s switch to the Lions have been ongoing since last week, while Town are closing in on the signing of striker Elliott from the South Londoners on what we understand is also a loan.

Last month Bialkowski’s proposed near-£1 million switch to Millwall broke down due to Lions’ concerns regarding his knee which emerged during his medical, something which has never been considered a worry by the Blues during his five years at the club.

The South Londoners tried to renegotiate the deal before Town ultimately pulled the plug. But discussions regarding the switch were revived over the last week or so.

Following relegation to League One, Town have been willing to consider bids for Bialkowski, their highest-paid player after the bumper new deal he signed last summer - which runs to the summer of 2021 with the club having an option for a further season - having returned from duty with Poland at the World Cup finals in Russia.

That new contract followed the Blues' refusal of a £3 million offer from Birmingham for the former Notts County and Southampton man.

Despite having said he is happy at Town - and that he plans to live in Suffolk once he retires - League One football was unlikely to improve Bialkowski’s international prospects and a move back to the Championship has always been on the cards, although with the move only a loan it is far from impossible that he could return to continue his Town career at the end of the season.

Bialkowski, an unused sub at Cambridge on Saturday, has made 177 starts and one sub appearance for the Blues having signed from Notts County in the summer of 2014 on a free transfer.

The 6ft 4in glovesman, who had a short spell on loan at Town in 2009 without making a senior appearance, won the club's Player of the Year gong in three successive seasons before relinquishing the award in 2018/19.

The Blues have moved quickly to secure another keeper to replace Bialkowski with Wolves keeper Will Norris set to sign.

Elliott, 28, began his career with hometown club Leeds and was handed his first-team debut as a sub aged only 16 when still at school.

Spells on loan at Macclesfield, Bury and Rotherham followed before he left Elland Road for Hamilton Academical in January 2011 having made one start and a further two sub appearances.

Six months later Elliott, who won caps at England U16 and U18 levels while with Leeds, moved on to Stockport, where he spent a season before departing for Cambridge United.

In 2015, having been released after three years with the U’s, the 6ft 4in tall frontman joined AFC Wimbledon where he spent two years before moving on to Millwall in 2017 when his Dons contract expired.

Elliott, who suffered a grade one hamstring strain earlier in pre-season and is yet to play a friendly, has scored nine goals - including the third in his side’s 3-2 defeat of the Blues at Portman Road on New Year’s Day - in 32 starts and 34 games from the bench for the Lions.

The striker is expected at Portman Road either later today or tomorrow to undergo a medical and complete the formalities relating to his switch.


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JackSted added 11:20 - Jul 29
Great business by Town
4

SouperJim added 11:22 - Jul 29
Sounds like a good deal for all parties, Elliott is exactly the type of big powerful striker we need. Did very well for Wimbledon in league one before he moved to Millwall.
8

leftie1972 added 11:23 - Jul 29
I'd rather keep Bart and not have Elliott to be perfectly honest.
Although I do understand that the wage budget is under extreme pressure due to Barts contract.
Not sure what Elliott will bring that we don't have now, apart from being 6'4"?
-17

BlueBlood90 added 11:25 - Jul 29
Seems a strange one that instead of receiving £1m we're now happy to loan him out. If he's not needed as number 1 then it makes sense to get his wages off the books and put them towards the one or two players we still need to improve the squad.
-5

ArnieM added 11:29 - Jul 29
Excellent news. That's him off our wage bill. I doubt he'd have got in the team ahead of Holy anyway. So makes sense to move him out. If we get promoted and he wants to return to Town then we can afford him. But I suspect he will opt to stay at Millwall.
1

TimmyH added 11:29 - Jul 29
Free's the club of Barts wages so no problems there...not sure about Elliott though.
2

BlueySwede added 11:30 - Jul 29
Millwall is getting a very good keeper, but with Holy in the building we should be fine. I´m just hoping that Lambert is getting his main targets, so we are not looking at secondary panic options. We need a few ones in this week, no doubt.
0

cornishblu added 11:36 - Jul 29
Understandably Barts head has been turned...international football the previous summer, treated poorly by PH and then seeing his value plumment in a team hedaing for relegation was nit how he imagined last year going .
A loan could work really well for both parties as if promoted we will have a keeper on our books that maintains championship experince .
...if we get wages off our books that could again save uo to £1m this year .....although well planned the club has been incredibly fortunate to then have received some major sell on fees ...this coupled woth the tremendous support from the season ticket holders...and already selling out away to kets should be enough for an owner to say he would put his hand in his pocket for two/three key signings at this level
Trouble is we have ME as owner and has demonstrated he has lost his business brain when it comes to running this club....to sell all of our strikers last year and replace all with intried lower league players was a gamble tok far .....we need to be brave mr evans ...and paul lambert needs some backing
COYB
0

BaddowBlue1 added 11:37 - Jul 29
A quick fix for both clubs which gets a hefty wage out of the club for a year whilst picking up another striker which was on our required list. Just need to sort out the back four with a Centre Back and Full Back.
9

floridaboy added 11:38 - Jul 29
Good business IMHO. Bart has been very average since the start of last season. Getting his wages off the books will be important re getting players. Elliott will be a good back up to Norwood and Jackson especially with Sears out until probably Christman.

And at the end of the day it is only a loan!
7

TractorRoyNo1 added 11:49 - Jul 29
Great business if we get promoted and he then comes back, hopefully they will pay all his wages in the meantime
1

SamWhiteUK added 11:51 - Jul 29
BlueBlood, his wages are freed up, at least a chunk of them, plonker.

This sounds like it will suit all parties, and if Bart does well I will be more than happy to take him back next year! Holy looked capable and commanding vs Cambs so should be a good fit for us, and the dominating aspect of his game is something we have been missing with Bart and Gerken on the books.
3

Essexnblue added 11:52 - Jul 29
Good business as far as I can see, from what I have seen this season Bart is well behind Holy who has been impressive but its only pre-season.
Interesting that Bart was brilliant with Malcolm Webster as his coach, once MW left then Bart was given an academy coach to work with by Hurst and his performance at times was shocking especially away from Portman Road.
Its only a loan and working at another club could help him but I think he has played his last game for us unless we are promoted this season.
As for Elliot he caused us some big problems at PR last season and is a different dimension to what we already have.
3

raycrawfordswig added 12:00 - Jul 29
Be surprised if he plays International football again seems to have lost direction .Thanks Bart for all your efforts in the past but time to move on .😔
5

grinch added 12:10 - Jul 29
Will Elliot be the new Harrison does not seem like good business to me one of only teams he scored against last year was town but so did every striker in the devision really. I think Millwall have got the best deal by far on this and we end up a very good goalie down and a striker who can't score up mmm not the best business I suggest
-2

runningout added 12:18 - Jul 29
We're definitely NOT guaranteed promotion like some numpties think. Elliot no worse than Harrison, but can't predict much like most on herr
2

runningout added 12:19 - Jul 29
excuse my Grandma, I mean Grammar
0

StokeHigh97 added 12:27 - Jul 29
Both deals make sense! Bartosz off the wage bill he goes out on loan for a season he could come back next season if we get promoted: Elliot contract up next summer if he does well regardless of division he could sign permanently next summer similar to Garbutt! I don't mind loans when there is a good chance of signing for the club at the end of the season: Norris is regarded as a Top goalkeeper according to NES he will give good competition to HOLY & he could sign if he plays & does well as I can't see him getting ahead of Patricio & Ruddy: I'd like to see a defender sign before the weekend
2

PortmanTerrorist added 12:30 - Jul 29
Sensible approach re Bart, but a keeper loan to sit behind Holy ? Seems odd, as Holy has looked more than solid and gives us the eight we lack at the back.

However, whilst you never say no to another (albeit average) striking option, we need Defenders ! Surely that is obvious to all let alone PL and ITFC staff. That should have been the priority at start of the season, so a bit like Aresenal, you have to wonder what we are doing there and if PL knows something we do not, I ****ing hope so !
0

Nobbysnuts added 12:45 - Jul 29
Elliott signing doesn't inspire me at all. Another journeyman with a pathetic scoring record. God help us.
-2

casanovacrow added 12:50 - Jul 29
Puts Bart in a better shop window to get a decent value for him next summer if we don't go back up whilst freeing up some wages and getting in some backup for Norwood up front. Much rather that than accepting a low ball figure, let's hope Bart gets his form back.
2

Stewards_Enquiry added 12:52 - Jul 29
I hope Millwall are paying all of his wages plus a loan deal ? i can see why they would want to get him off the books with a replacement No 1 already in Holy, however getting a striker in thats now injured with a hamstring injury does not send out the right message ! If we want to get the season up and running then surely a fir striker who scores would suit ?

1

Nobbysnuts added 12:58 - Jul 29
An injured millwall cast off as well. Jesus christ what lows will we stoop to next???????????
0

Bert added 12:59 - Jul 29
Not convinced that Millwall is a club for Bart but the arrangement is an intelligent one. 12 months ago we would all be screaming 'keep Bart' but just now we need a very tall keeper to cut out the crosses that our defence including Bart did not deal with. Holy looks to be a good appointment. If we get Elliot in return then just a CB is on my wish list and it's game on once we get the first few tricky games out the way.
4

BurleysGloryDays added 13:08 - Jul 29
Nice way to reshape the top line, gives us great options for different defences
1


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