Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

To sell or to keep? That’s the £2.5m question.

How Michael Appleton and Blackpool will look to solve mini-midfield crisis

God forbid, if the worst happens and Josh Bowler does depart within the next nine days, let’s hope it’s for more money than that.

But according to the latest reports, that’s what long-time admirers Nottingham Forest are offering for the 23-year-old’s services, with Bournemouth and Fulham also still hovering.

With only a year remaining on his contract, you can see why Forest are preparing to table a relatively low bid.

But when they’re forking out £42.5m (including add-ons) for Morgan Gibbs-White, Blackpool fans are well within their rights to feel a little nonplussed about potentially losing their star man for comparative peanuts.

I must admit, I’m stuck in two minds.

It goes without saying we all want Bowler to remain at Bloomfield Road: he’s a mercurial talent, the likes of which we’ve not seen at Bloomfield Road since Wes Hoolahan and Charlie Adam.

Josh Bowler was excellent again during Blackpool's thrilling draw against Burnley

But we also live in the real world. This is what Blackpool’s model is based on: developing talent, in this instance one that arrived on a free transfer, before selling on for a profit, with that cash then being reinvested back into the side.

To sell or to keep? The factors Blackpool must weigh up with Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Fulham target Josh Bowler