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