This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Notts County could be vulnerable to losing striker Alassana Jatta this summer after failing to win promotion from League Two.
It was a season that promised so much for Notts County, but after missing out on direct promotion on the penultimate day of the campaign, they suffered further anguish when they were beaten 2-0 on aggregate by eventual winners AFC Wimbledon in their play-off semi-final.
Head coach Stuart Maynard paid the price for his side’s play-off defeat when he was fired last Thursday after just over 15 months in command, but he may not be the last high-profile departure at Meadow Lane this summer, and Jatta might follow him out.
Jatta joined the Magpies from Danish club Viborg in January for just over £100,000, and he scored 22 goals in 43 games across all competitions this season, ranking second in League Two behind Bromley’s Michael Cheek.
Plymouth Argyle had a £750,000 bid for Jatta rejected in January, while Portsmouth and Bolton Wanderers were also interested. As FLW exclusively revealed this week, the Lancashire club has revived their interest in the striker ahead of the summer transfer window.
| Alassana Jatta’s stats for Notts County (as per Transfermarkt) | |
| Appearances | 53 |
| Goals | 27 |
| Assists | 6 |
Notts County reaction given to Alassana Jatta, Bolton Wanderers talk
When asked if he believes Jatta will leave the club this summer, FLW’s Notts County fan pundit Gareth Parr stated that he expects the Magpies board to wait until the start of next season to decide whether to sell the Gambia international, but he admitted that he has been uneasy at Meadow Lane since speculation about his future began in January.
“Whether Jatta goes or stays will purely come down to finances I think,” according to Gareth.
“He has clearly not been happy for whatever reason since the approaches.
“He has clearly not been happy for whatever reason since the approaches.
“The owners base all of their decisions on statistics, but I don’t think he helped himself with his antics in the play-off semi-final.”
“I believe they will give him the opportunity to stay for a few games next season, evaluate how he performs, and then make a decision.
“Unless, of course, like with Macaulay Langstaff and Millwall, if someone comes in with a really decent offer, then I’m sure he will just go.”
Notts County will fear Macaulay Langstaff repeat with Alassana Jatta
Jatta’s 27 goals in 53 appearances at Meadow Lane means he has scored more than once per two games for Notts County, which explains why he is garnering interest from other clubs.
The striker’s form dipped slightly in the second half of the season, and his late red card in the first leg of the play-off semi-final against Wimbledon did not go down well with Magpies fans, but there is no doubt that losing their star striker for the second year in a row, following Macaulay Langstaff’s departure to Millwall last summer, would be a huge blow to the club.
However, as with Langstaff, Notts may find it difficult to prevent Jatta from moving to a higher level, albeit it remains to be seen whether Bolton will be willing to meet his valuation, which is considered to be more than £1 million.
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