Dervite to leave

Dorian Dervite, one of the stand-outs of Jose Riga’s reign looks set to sign for Bolton.

The Frenchman has said previously that he would like to stay on a long term deal, but I have heard nothing of an offer from the club. There was a ‘Dervite to Bolton’ rumour a month or so back, and knowing what Sordell was earning, it is clear that Bolton have a much higher wage bar, this despite the club’s huge debt.

One would think that Riga would like to keep Dervite, but we still know nothing on Duchatelet’s plans for the head coach. However this interview with a Belgium journal makes it pretty obvious that Riga wants to stay and that he has made his wishes clear to Duchatelet.

Put through a Google translator mixer, Riga says . “I’m interested, 100%. I appreciated the context, stadiums, respect vis-à-vis managers, referees. I told the President that I had felt very well there. He knows.” Reading between the pigeon English it is a great interview if you can translate it.

So, what is Roly waiting for?

I would suspect the end of the wearisome Belgium season, which finishes on Sunday and with the Juliper League’s ridiculous Play-Off rules, has thown up the real chance that Standard will miss out on qualifying for the Champions League despite finishing 10 points ahead of Anderlecht after the regular 30-game season.

I also read that Katrien Meire has gone on a quick holiday. What is going on? We need decisions made, and objectives set, and more importantly players, and coaches, signed.

Standard’s imminent failure will affect Charlton like it or not. It will affect budgets and decisions but maybe with the growing realization that The Championship is a far more tougher proposition, with a much, much larger pot of gold at the end of it, conceivably it might rearrange Roland’s priorities too.

In other player news Ceddy Evina has announced to his Twitter followers that he will leave SE7 in the summer. I always liked Ceddy and thought he seemed like a good egg in a squad where togetherness has meant so much. Ceddy mentioned at the Sponsor’s Dinner that he would like to remain in The Championship, but his agent was eying some of the bigger northern clubs in next season’s League One.

The club have announced a couple of friendly matches. The pre-season opener against Welling is on July 12th, although it is expected not to be the opener this summer because of the planned tour to Belgium, although I am yet to see that trip confirmed. Then on August 2nd we travel again to Fratton Park to play Portsmouth. Expect Danny Hollands to line up against us.

Jordan Cousins has been rewarded for an excellent first season by being called up for the England U21 squad for next week’s European qualifier in Wales and the Toulon Tournament in France.

Finally the last bit of news regards plans, or at least rumours, that the University of Greenwich is set to invest in the rebuilding of Sparrows Lane, and will also have their names on the shirts next season. Interesting and admirable if true.