Joe Ramage discusses Josh Umerah's Hartlepool United future

Joe Ramage discusses Josh Umerah's future at Hartlepool United amid great transfer interest in the striker.

Transcript

00:00 If we'd done this at the beginning of pre-season, as I said, it would have been a case of 'when, not if'.

00:06 But the feeling now really is that I think there's a confidence that he's going to stay.

00:10 There's been interest, but there's been interest most of this year, really.

00:13 I think, you know, we saw what happened on deadline day in January.

00:17 There was a couple of League One clubs, a couple of League Two clubs who were sniffing around and who'd made approaches.

00:22 They did exactly the right thing that they should have done at that time, keeping hold of their key player.

00:26 Because at that point, you know, they needed him to try and steal. It didn't happen.

00:30 And then it was a case of, well, like I say, 'when, not if'.

00:32 But bids have been knocked back. Bids that have been, like John Askey said, good bids, but bids that aren't upfront enough.

00:42 They don't meet the valuation that the club have upfront at the moment.

00:45 And I think that's a good approach from the club.

00:47 You know, it's easy to knock them at times over the last 12 months,

00:51 but to keep that stand on a player like Josh O'Meara and make sure that you get your value.

00:57 I think the same with Mo Silla in terms of giving him the contract to make sure that you don't lose him on a free.

01:01 I know obviously the way that's gone, that could end up happening anyway.

01:05 But with someone like O'Meara, you want to make sure if you do sell him, that you're going to get compensated for it well,

01:10 where you could reinvest it into the squad.

01:13 I put a piece out on the Mail yesterday or the beginning of the week, rather, about Gillingham.

01:17 They were certainly one of the clubs who have had a bid in from this summer and they've since turned their attention elsewhere.

01:23 So at the moment, it feels like he's going to stay.

01:27 He's back in, he's back playing, he's building his fitness up.

01:30 He scored in pre-season and all of a sudden you look at a potential partnership with him and De Josuri

01:36 and you think that could be a decent front two in this league.

01:39 You know, I think De Josuri scored 13 for Halifax last year.

01:44 O'Meara, he scored 15 in League Two, he scored 17 the last time he was in this division.

01:49 So there's goals there and they're the best coaches you can have at any level.

01:54 So to keep hold of him will be massive.

01:57 I do think it's something that will just run on.

01:59 You know, once we get the season up and running, there'll be teams in League Two who, you know, a striker might get injured on Saturday.

02:05 You know, so then they'll be looking around for players who they see as value.

02:09 Outside of the division, Josh O'Meara is certainly someone who is valued to go into that division.

02:15 He proved that last season.