Summary
We (finally) have the confirmation from Oldham, so it’s a good time to bring down the curtain on this blog. Many thanks for reading. Here’s a summary.
- Oldham Athletic have confirmed they do not plan to sign the striker and convicted rapist Ched Evans, as previously planned. The club said the decision was made because of threats, and as to do so with incur “significant financial pressure”.
- Shortly before the official statement the club’s chairman, Simon Corney, said he felt Evans deserved a chance and he “wished him well”, but that threats had forced the decision. Corney denied reports he had resigned, but said he would be thinking about his position.
- Earlier, Evans released a statement via the players’ union, the PFA, which partly apologised for what has happened to his victim in the wake of the case, but not for the rape, which he denied. Evans said: “I wholeheartedly apologise for the effects that night in Rhyl has had on many people, not least the woman concerned.” He also condemned social media abuse of the woman.
- In the same statement the PFA said it would support any club that wished to sign Evans.
-
Greater Manchester police have said they are not aware of any threats made against the club.
So, the official statement is not as strong as the comments by Simon Corney, reported by Sky Sports News, but takes a similar line.
It infers very clearly that Oldham believed signing Evans was justifiable, and that a deal would have gone ahead were it not for threats against the club. It’s worth reiterating that Greater Manchester police say they are not as yet aware of any such threats.
The phrasing of the statement is definitely odd. When it says, “we would like to place on record our gratitude to all who have supported the club during this difficult period”, this almost reads as if the controversy was a situation Oldham were forced into, and which could not have been predicted.
We now have the statement on the club website.
It reads:
It has been widely reported that Oldham Athletic will not be signing Ched Evans, which we can now confirm. The whole issue has divided opinion and the club has been put under unbearable pressure as a result.
Proceeding could have placed significant financial pressure on the club and continued to be a divisive influence. As a consequence the deal could not go ahead.
As a club we condemn all crime including rape and irrespective of any appeal procedure it was always the case that we were prepared to withstand the barrage of abuse that is evident within the country and on social media.
We deplore and condemn the vile and abusive threats, some including death threats, which have been made to our fans, sponsors and staff whilst this process has been in the public domain.
Finally, we would like to place on record our gratitude to all who have supported the club during this difficult period, including the club staff, who have retained their focus throughout and in addition to Ched and his team who have acted with professionalism at all times.
We understand Ched has released his own statement on his website.
The club will not be making any further statement on this matter.
Full Oldham statement
Here’s the full statement, via a tweet - it was handed out to reporters, but is not as yet on the club’s website.
Oldham Athletic statement confirming Ched Evans deal off pic.twitter.com/kUKhDv8nVC
— Dan Roan (@danroan) January 8, 2015
Updated
Oldham chief executive confirms club will not sign Evans
The chief executive of Oldham, Neil Joy, has just addressed the assembled media to make a statement saying much the same thing, saying the club wanted to sign Ched Evans but changed their minds after threats.
Oldham owners confirms deal is off, but wishes Evans well
Simon Corney, the Oldham chairman, has just spoken to Sky Sports News from New York, the station has reported.
It says Corney confirmed he has not resigned from the club but plans to “take a long, good look at his own position” in the coming days.
Corney said the club wished Evans well and believed he deserved a new chance, and would have signed him were it not for “vile abuse and hatred” via social media and calls. Death threats had been made against staff, he said.
According to the station, Corney said it had been a unanimous Oldham board decision to pull out of the deal.
As we (endlessly) await Oldham’s official statement, David Conn has more on what prompted their decision.
Ched Evans: Re footballers as role models. Oldham council felt club's & players' community status were crucial reasons not to sign him.
— David Conn (@david_conn) January 8, 2015
David Cameron has had a say, suggesting Evans could consider voluntary work as a form of recompense and to show contrition. He said:
My view is it is not for politicians to pick football teams, it should be for football clubs to pick their teams,
But as they do that, they have to recognise that football players are role models for young people and they have to think about what will the impact be on the club, what will the impact be on young people.
I would rather clubs demonstrated that responsibility and took the decisions themselves rather than feeling anyone has to step in.
As for people in this position, surely the position is to recognise when you have done something wrong and you have been punished, rightly punished, you have to work your way back - that might mean doing more voluntary work, putting more back in, in order to demonstrate to the public, the country, the football-loving country we are, that you are really sorry about what happened and you want to atone for what you have done.
Some mixed views at Oldham, via Helen Pidd.
Oldham fan Jack Buckley, 17: "I'm disappointed. We'd never normally be able to afford a player like Evans." pic.twitter.com/QQyYRHVFaR
— Helen Pidd (@helenpidd) January 8, 2015
Oldham fans keep saying to me "we don't know if he's guilty" - despite a jury deciding exactly that. #chedevans
— Helen Pidd (@helenpidd) January 8, 2015
Two young lads with their hoods up just walked past Oldham Athletic's ground chanting "Ched! Ched!"
— Helen Pidd (@helenpidd) January 8, 2015
Updated
While we await Oldham’s much-anticipated official statement, here’s another update from David Conn.
Ched Evans: Told people within Oldham Athletic do not expect that owner Simon Corney will actually "quit" although he did threaten to do so.
— David Conn (@david_conn) January 8, 2015
PA are also reporting what Helen Pidd tweeted earlier – that the Evans deal is off and Corney has not quit:
Oldham’s deal to sign convicted rapist Ched Evans has collapsed, a senior Oldham source has confirmed.
The club source has however denied a report in a local newspaper that chairman Simon Corney has quit over the matter following reports of threats to his family.
It comes as Evans, 26, issued a “wholehearted apology” for the effects of his actions in 2011 but continues to maintain his innocence over his rape conviction.
Evans has also condemned social media abuse of the woman he was found guilty of raping.
PA has more on the alleged threats:
The Oldham Athletic Supporters’ Trust issued a statement saying staff at the club had been subjected to threats and attacks.
It said: “This is an emotive issue and as such we would ask that all members and fans respect the views of their fellow supporters in the general debate. You certainly have a right to free thought and free speech, but we would ask that you please try to avoid abusive comments and conduct.
“We would especially ask all fans and others to respect the staff of the club who have unfortunately been subjected to extreme and unnecessary attacks and threats whilst doing no more than their jobs.”
Oldham brief that Ched Evans deal is off
More updates from Helen Pidd. It seems Corney has not quit as Oldham’s owner:
Oldham Athletic's chair has not quit but the Ched Evans deal is definitely off: club source
— Helen Pidd (@helenpidd) January 8, 2015
The chief exec of Oldham Athletic club is expected any minute outside the ground to give a statement on Ched Evans
— Helen Pidd (@helenpidd) January 8, 2015
Updated
More on what threats may or may not have been made, from David Conn.
Ched Evans: Police say they called Oldham Athletic & sponsors and were told no threats been made; a couple of "low level abuse on Twitter."
— David Conn (@david_conn) January 8, 2015
We’re told that Oldham Athletic are preparing a statement, which should be with us soon.
Oldham owner Simon Corney has quit following threats: report
The Oldham Evening Chronicle says Oldham’s owner, Simon Corney, is believed to have quit the club in the wake of the threats following the Evans saga. Here’s what the story says:
LATICS was a club in crisis this afternoon after the deal for convicted rapist Ched Evans was sensationally halted and Simon Corney believed to have quit as chairman.
The striker, released halfway through a five-year prison sentence last October, was thought to have agreed a two-and-a-half-year deal.
Evans was on the verge of being unveiled but Latics - besieged by national media - pulled out.
It is understood Corney’s decision to quit centres on personal threats to family members as the story has prompted polarised views on a national scale.
Updated
Despite the comments to the BBC earlier by the force’s chief constable, Sir Peter Fahy, Greater Manchester police say they are not aware of any threats to the club. PA has this:
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the force was not aware of any threats made to anyone connected to Oldham Athletic.
Here’s the current home page of the official Oldham website, without a mention of Evans as yet.
My colleague Owen Gibson has written a story on Evans’ sort-of apology. Here’s the top:
Ched Evans, the former Sheffield United striker convicted of raping a 19-year-old, has for the first time apologised for the “effects that night in Rhyl has had on many people, not least the woman concerned”.
With Oldham Athletic understood to be on the verge of pulling out of a deal to sign the player in the face of pressure from the public and sponsors, Evans’s statement via the Professional Footballers Association marks his first act of contrition towards the victim since he walked from prison on licence 83 days ago.
Evans, who has continued to protest his innocence and is waiting for the Criminal Cases Review Commission to decide whether his case should be re-opened, said he had been told to stay silent until now on legal advice.
“Upon legal advice, I was told not to discuss the events in question. This silence has been misinterpreted as arrogance and I would like to state that this could not be further from the truth,” he said.
“I do remain limited at present by what I can say due to the ongoing referral to the Criminal Cases Review Commission and whilst I continue to maintain my innocence, I wish to make it clear that I wholeheartedly apologise for the effects that night in Rhyl has had on many people, not least the woman concerned.”
The 26-year-old also sought to disassociate himself for the first time from those using the internet to hound his victim. According to her father, she has been forced to change her identity five times and was effectively living life “on the run” having repeatedly had her anonymity compromised.
“It has been claimed that those using social media in an abusive and vindictive way towards this woman are supporters of mine. I wish to make it clear that these people are not my supporters and I condemn their actions entirely and will continue to do so,” said Evans.
A campaign funded by the father of Evans’s girlfriend, who has stood by him through the case, includes a website dedicated to proving his innocence and undermining the victim’s version of events.
It’s worth noting that for all the flurry of information from the PFA, Evans and Oldham council, the club itself has yet to confirm the deal is off. As David Conn writes in his latest story this appears to be because Oldham’s owner, Simon Corney, is in New York and has yet to ratify that decision.
It’s almost 9am in New York now, so that might change soon.
Another view from Boundary Park.
To return to the issue of Evans’ statement, it’s worth reiterating that whatever his apology might consist of, it’s most definitely not an apology for raping someone. Given Evans still insists on his innocence that is perhaps to be expected. But the more you read it the less the key phrase – “I wish to make it clear that I wholeheartedly apologise for the effects that night in Rhyl has had on many people, not least the woman concerned” – sounds like any meaningful expression of contrition.
It’s also worth noting that his statement did not mention whether Evans believes the controversial website run by his supporters should be taken down.
My colleague Helen Pidd has been at Boundary Park:
Outside Boundary Park the players have returned from training but have answered all questions with “no comment”. Asked whether he was pleased the deal was off, midfielder Mike Jones answered with a deadpan, “Hooray”.
Fans are divided over whether Evans should have been given a chance. “I think they’ve crucified him,” said William Taylor, 79. “Look at what’s going on elsewhere, in parliament, the royal family - Prince Andrew accused of being with underage girls - and Evans is being crucified for this. They’re saying the board members have had death
threats but they’re not really at risk. You don’t give in to that stuff.”
Eric Wood, 86, a retired kitchen fitter, said: “The guy’s been pilloried. He’s served his time. Other rapists go back to work. Why not him? Is it just because he’s a footballer?”
But every woman the Guardian approached near the ground was against the deal. “In this country people are innocent until proven guilty and he has been proven guilty,” said a 68-year-old fan who asked not to be named. She’d made a 90-mile trip to the ground with a homemade banner featuring an owl, the Latics’ mascot, and the club motto, “Keep the faith”. “We’re a family club, a United club, but this is dividing us.”She had her season ticket in her pocket, ready to hand in if the signing went ahead.
Helen has also tweeted this picture of the woman’s banner.
"Keep the faith" - fan outside Oldham Athletic says the club has divided fans by considering signing Evans pic.twitter.com/FWneHumLCR
— Helen Pidd (@helenpidd) January 8, 2015
Updated
Statement from PFA and Ched Evans
The players’ union, the PFA, has released a statement explaining its role in the mooted deal with Oldham, with quotes from Evans. The element of Evans’ comments is that he disowns those targeting his victim, saying:
I wish to make it clear that these people are not my supporters and I condemn their actions entirely and will continue to do so.
He also apologises to his victim, in a very slightly roundabout way:
I do remain limited at present by what I can say due to the ongoing referral to the Criminal Cases Review Commission and whilst I continue to maintain my innocence, I wish to make it clear that I wholeheartedly apologise for the effects that night in Rhyl has had on many people, not least the woman concerned.
Here’s the full statement.
The PFA wishes to clarify its position regarding Ched Evans following recent media reports.
Our previous statements are set out below and our support for Ched remains the same.
We have had some discussions with Oldham Athletic regarding the interest they expressed in signing Ched, although we feel it is important to make clear that, contrary to what has been reported, we were not ‘driving’ any deal. As we understand it, the club and player were in discussions and contact was then made with the PFA as matters progressed given the particular circumstances of this situation and we were simply being asked to publicly reiterate our support for the club in signing him. Despite being ready to offer this from the outset, we were asked to delay whilst discussions between the club and player continued, and we were disappointed to see over the course of this week, comments being made which we feel mischaracterise our limited role in this matter.
The PFA’s position remains the same, as we have expressed previously, that any club which decides to sign him would receive our support.
We fully recognise that this is a delicate and emotive case and entirely respect that there are opposing views. However, we always felt it was important that Ched made some further comment regarding his current situation and on that basis, he has asked that we include his comments below:
“I am grateful for the support of the PFA in helping me try to return to football and continue my career.
Upon legal advice, I was told not to discuss the events in question. This silence has been misinterpreted as arrogance and I would like to state that this could not be further from the truth.
I do remain limited at present by what I can say due to the ongoing referral to the Criminal Cases Review Commission and whilst I continue to maintain my innocence, I wish to make it clear that I wholeheartedly apologise for the effects that night in Rhyl has had on many people, not least the woman concerned.
Finally, it has been claimed that those using social media in an abusive and vindictive way towards this woman are supporters of mine. I wish to make it clear that these people are not my supporters and I condemn their actions entirely and will continue to do so.”
According to the BBC, Greater Manchester police will be investigating the alleged threats made against Oldham staff and their families:
Greater Manchester’s chief constable Sir Peter Fahy said his force would be launching an investigation into threats to the club’s staff and their families.
“It is totally unacceptable,” Sir Peter told BBC Radio 5 live.
“We will be contacting Oldham Athletic to make sure that it’s investigated.”
PA have produced a timeline of the entire Evans saga. It’s quite long but has some useful background:
2011
May 30: Ched Evans is arrested on suspicion of sexual assault at a Premier Inn near Rhyl, north Wales.
July 26: Evans and fellow footballer Clayton McDonald are charged with rape.
2012
April 20: Evans is jailed for five years for rape and McDonald is acquitted. Evans maintains his innocence. Evans is released by Sheffield United at the end of the season.
November 6: Evans loses his appeal after his case is rejected by three judges at the Court of Appeal in London.
2014
April 18: An online petition is launched urging United not to re-sign Evans and gains over 165,000 signatures.
October 17: Evans is released from prison after serving half his sentence and a statement is released on his website stating he will continue to fight to clear his name.
October 22: Evans releases a statement stating his desire to return to football.
November 11: Sheffield United confirm Evans will return to train with the club with immediate effect following a request from the Professional Footballers’ Association. Television presenter Charlie Webster announces that she has stood down as a patron of the club.
November 12: Sheffield Central MP Paul Blomfield urges United to change their decision, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg says the club must “think really long and hard” before deciding whether to allow Evans to play for them again.
November 13: Olympic champion and Blades fan Jessica Ennis-Hill issues a statement announcing that she has told United she would want her name removed from the Bramall Lane stand should Evans be offered a contract to play for the club.
November 14: Police begin an investigation into rape threat tweets directed at Ennis-Hill after her statement over Evans.
November 20: United announce they have retracted the offer for Evans to train with the club.
December 1: Oldham deny offering Evans the chance to train with the club following reports linking him to the League One outfit.
December 20: Hartlepool manager Ronnie Moore announces he would like to sign Evans.
December 22: Hartlepool release a statement saying they would not be signing Evans.
2015
January 3: After apparently being offered a route back into football by Maltese side Hibernians, the Ministry of Justice steps in to prevent Evans resuming his football career overseas, stating that, as a convicted sex offender on licence, Evans is effectively barred from working abroad.
January 4: It is revealed Evans has been in fresh talks with Oldham about joining the League One club, sparking new protests.
January 7: Oldham sponsor Verlin Rainwater Solutions announces it is cutting ties with the club immediately, while another, ZenOffice, warns it will do so if the signing goes ahead. Oldham owner Simon Corney tells the Jewish Chronicle there is an “80 per cent” chance of the club signing Evans. Shadow sports minister Clive Efford writes to Football Association chairman Greg Dyke to urge the FA to block the deal.
January 8: Evans’ proposed signing falls through due to the uproar surrounding it.
David Conn also says we can imminently expect a statement from the PFA players’ union, which has been closely involved with the proposed deal.
David Conn has filed this piece on what we know so far:
Oldham Athletic’s plan to sign the convicted rapist Ched Evans appears to be off following huge pressure on the club and sponsors promising to withdraw if it happened.
Sources inside the club are reported to have said the deal is off, although the Guardian has been told Oldham’s owner, Simon Corney, is still in New York and has yet to ratify that decision.
If Oldham do pull out of the deal, it will be the second time they have done so, having denied an intention to do so last year.
A local Oldham office supplies company, ZenOffice, which sponsors the old Chadderton Road stand at Boundary Park, became the latest to tell the club on Wednesday they will end their deal if Evans signed. Bruce Davie, ZenOffice’s sales director, said they are a local company whose partnership with the football club was based on believed they shared the same values, “based on family and community”.
He said the overwhelming view of the company’s customers and staff, many of whom are Oldham fans, was that they did not want to be associated with the furore surrounding the signing of Evans. That followed the promised withdrawal earlier this week by another of Oldham’s sponsors, Verlin Rainwater Solutions, Mecca Bingo, and the restaurant chain Nando’s also said they would end their association with Oldham if they signed Ched Evans.
Davie said that the club had not consulted with ZenOffice at all during the negotiations to sign Evans until the story broke in the media on Sunday, which he said was disappointing. “We do not want to break our relationship with the club, and if it is true they are not signing Ched Evans, that will be welcomed by us.”
My colleague, Christopher Thomond, has been at Oldham’s Boundary Park ground this morning taking photographs.
Loath as I am to cite Piers Morgan’s opinion on anything, he has got 4.3m Twitter followers so views like this, which appear to back up Harry Rednapp’s earlier comments, will have some traction.
If Ched Evans had partied on coke/booze all night, then killed a dad-of-4, done a runner & got 6yrs in jail - Oldham would have signed him.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 8, 2015
According to PA, a spokesman for Oldham said the club was preparing a statement on the matter.
Oldham council says Evans deal is off
The leader of Oldham council, Jim McMahon, has just released this statement:
I understand Oldham Athletic’s move to sign Ched Evans is off.
I’ve always believed in rehabilitation but felt that both club and player should have allowed Mr Evans’ appeal to run its course before agreeing a contract. As it stands Mr Evans has been found guilty in a court of law and has not yet completed his sentence. However, I take no pleasure in this outcome.
The whole episode has divided the town and public opinion and there are no winners in all this – not least of all the reputation of our club and town.
In recent days we’ve seen an horrendous ‘trial by social media’ with intimidation, abuse and harassment on a scale that has cast a terrible shadow.
I am urging people on all sides of this debate to please now take stock, show some restraint and calm.
We want to see Oldham Athletic prosper and that’s why we backed plans to redevelop Boundary Park to secure a positive future.
I also believe that Simon Corney has the best intentions and ambitions for the club as its owner. I hope he and other board members now take stock and consider the wider interests of the club as a part of the community and as an ambassador for Oldham.
Those who disagree with Rednapp would counter that Evans’ case is different to that of Hughes and McCormick in that he has not shown any remorse – Evans insists he was wrongly convicted – and that supporters of his case have contributed to the identity of his victim becoming known, obliging her to move a number of times.
There is a vast amount of comment about the ethics of the case, but three of the very best pieces I’ve read come from David Conn and Marina Hyde, who take different views. Here they are:
The QPR manager, Harry Rednapp, has had his say on the issue, opining – before the news that the Oldham deal could be off – that Evans should be allowed to “carry on with his life”. Here’s what he said, via PA:
I think it’s about getting a second chance in life. It’s very difficult, people make mistakes, dreadful mistakes in life, but people go in prison or whatever they do, whether you’ve murdered someone or whatever, unfortunately a lot of them come out.
But once you’ve done your time you’ve done your time, and somewhere along the line you’ve got to come out and make a go of your life.So it’s a very difficult situation at the moment with the lad who is a footballer and wants to play football.
What does he do? If he goes and works in a supermarket people are going to say ‘we’ve got a rapist working in the supermarket’.
Somewhere he’s got to work, whether it’s football or somewhere, he can’t just not be allowed to carry on with his life.
PA adds that Redknapp was not asked directly but compared Evans’ situation to that of other previously convicted footballers who returned to the game following their sentences.
Oldham signed Lee Hughes after the former West Brom striker was imprisoned for causing death by dangerous driving whilst goalkeeper Luke McCormick was named as Plymouth’s captain last year having returned to the club after being released following a similar offence to Hughes.
Where’s he going to go, his life’s got to go somewhere hasn’t it really? He’s made a horrific mistake in what he did, but somewhere along the line, he’s got to have a chance in life somewhere, doing something.
If we look at football we’ve got a lad who was convicted for drink-driving who wiped a family out who is back playing again.
There’s another lad who killed somebody and fled the scene of the crash, he’s back playing football again. This lad’s made a big mistake as well. What does he do with his life, I don’t know, something’s got to happen hasn’t it?
Updated
According to the BBC and others, the deal has been called off in part due to threats against clubs staff members and their families:
Oldham Athletic have decided against signing convicted rapist Ched Evans following threats to the club’s “staff and their families”.
A board member told BBC sports editor Dan Roan the decision was also taken because of “enormous pressure from sponsors”.
Evans is expected to release a statement saying he understands the club’s change of heart.
It’s worth noting, however, this tweet from Sky’s Paul Kelso:
Greater Manchester Police have told @SkyNews they have not been made aware of any threats against Oldham directors
— Paul Kelso (@pkelso) January 8, 2015
This is the latest twist in a protracted a hugely controversial saga which has already seen the 26-year-old striker linked with Sheffield United, his firmer club, Hartlepool United, Tranmere Rovers and Malta’s Hibernians. All these clubs changed their mind, apart from Hibernians, where Evans was prevented from joining by the Ministry of Justice.
Only yesterday the Oldham deal appeared set to go ahead. This is my colleague Jamie Jackson’s take from late on Wednesday:
The owner of Oldham Athletic, Simon Corney, believes there is an “80% chance” his League One club will sign the convicted rapist Ched Evans. The businessman argues the 26-year-old striker, who served half of a five-year prison sentence for an offence committed in 2011, deserves a chance to resume his career. “We believe he has served his time,” Corney told the Jewish Chronicle. “There is an 80% chance of us signing him. It won’t be done today. It’s not straightforward and there are some legal issues.”
The prospect of Evans resuming his career at Boundary Park has provoked a strong reaction, with more than 65,000 people signing a petition protesting against the move and the shadow sports minister, Clive Efford, writing to the Football Association on Wednesday to ask the governing body to intervene to prevent Evans from returning to play football.
“The decision on whether players should return to football after committing serious offences is not a matter solely for individual clubs and I have asked the FA to refuse his registration when Oldham Athletic approach them,” Efford said.
In his letter to the FA’s chairman, Greg Dyke, Efford wrote: “I believe the FA has failed to appreciate the seriousness of the crime for which Ched Evans has been convicted and the consequences that his return to the game will have on people’s impressions of the sport and its governing body.” It is understood, though, that the FA has no rules under which to prevent the registration and Evans would be free to play again.
Corney said he understood the widespread concerns but he claimed the support of three unnamed Premier League managers and added: “I hope people don’t get too carried away and it doesn’t get too hot. I completely understand people’s views and I respect them. I would never tell people they are wrong to have their own views. But we want people to keep them in check.”
Our own David Conn, who is busy looking into the matter, has this to add:
Sky reporting that Oldham signing Ched Evans is off. Have been told Simon Corney, the owner, is in New York and yet to ratify that decision.
— David Conn (@david_conn) January 8, 2015
Sky News is also reporting this:
Oldham director confirms that Ched Evans deal is off after threats were made against board members & families
— Paul Kelso (@pkelso) January 8, 2015
The hugely protracted possibility of Ched Evans joining Oldham is, reportedly, now not going to happen.
The club appeared determined to press ahead with signing the convicted rapist, despite significant concerns from supporters and sponsors. However, now it appears the deal is off. Here is what the Press Association is reporting:
Convicted rapist Ched Evans’ proposed signing for Oldham has fallen through due to the uproar that has surrounded the negotiations. Sources close to the negotiations have confirmed to Press Association Sport that Oldham have decided against the move. It comes just a day after Oldham’s joint owner Simon Corney said there was an “80%” chance of the 26-year-old being signed.
Updated
