Warrington Wolves boss makes Tom Whitehead admission and recruitment hint

Yahoo

8 hours ago

Tom Whitehead is the subject of interest from Hull KR but will spend the next month on loan at Salford Red Devils (Image: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)
SAM Burgess has admitted that, while he values him highly as a player, he may have to let Tom Whitehead leave Warrington Wolves.
The loose forward is the subject of strong interest from Super League leaders and Challenge Cup winners Hull KR, who are believed to have had a transfer bid accepted for his services.
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Whitehead's immediate future lies at Salford Red Devils, with the 22-year-old having joined Super League's bottom club on a four-week loan alongside teammate Dan Russell as part of the deal that brought Sam Stone to Warrington.
Longer-term, however, the academy graduate's future appears to lie elsewhere despite him being under contract with The Wire until the end of next year.
Having progressed through the club's academy, Whitehead has made 11 first-team appearances – two of which have come this season – while he has also spent several spells out on loan.
This season alone, he has turned out for London Broncos, Keighley Cougars and Halifax Panthers as well as the Wire reserves but a more permanent departure looks to be in the offing after Burgess admitted he currently struggles to see a path to more regular first-team opportunities for him at The Halliwell Jones Stadium.
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'I love Tommy and he's such a great player. I don't know what's out there but I know he's got some interest from other clubs,' he said.
'We value Tommy – he's been at the club since he was 14 and he's a good lad to have around, but sometimes these opportunities can be good for players.
'He's behind a couple of players at 13 here so if opportunities do arise for him, he'll take them.
'We do value him and he's a great lad but we've been pretty open about everything with him.
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'He's at Salford for a month and it will be good for him to get some game time. We've been trying to find that time for him all year but we've not had enough opportunity for him.'
Burgess also had his say on the departure of off-season recruit Russell, who will spend the remainder of the season at Salford having played 10 times for Warrington this season.
'It's given him the opportunity to play a bit of first-team. It seemed like the right fit,' the Wire boss said of the back-rower.
'We'll get to see him over a long period of time, which will be good for Dan.'
Sam Burgess open to more Warrington Wolves recruitment
Stone is the second player Warrington have signed from Salford in-season, with scrum-half Marc Sneyd having made the move in March.
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And although he played down the prospect of anything immediate, Burgess hinted he may not be the last mid-season recruit to arrive.
Clubs have until August 1 to add players to their ranks immediately and the Wolves head coach has left the possibility of more arrivals on the table.
'I don't know yet. We've still got a little bit of space so we'll see,' he said when asked about the prospect of further recruitment.
'We're keeping everything open, really. With the way things are going for us this year, we're staying versatile.
'We're not actively looking but there is an opportunity if something arises for us.'