Blackpool in talks to keep loan pair

ffDiscussions are taking place to extend the loan deals of Blackpool duo Sean Longstaff and Viv Solomon-Otabor.

Both players’ loans are currently due to expire on January 6 but Pool manager Gary Bowyer revealed conversations have taken place with their parent clubs to extend them until the end of the season.

Bowyer, speaking ahead of tomorrow’s League One game against Rotherham United, also stated there is a “willingness” from both players to stay at Bloomfield Road.

“There are discussions taking place and both boys want to do it,” he said.

“They’ve been fantastic since they’ve been here, so hopefully we can get that sorted very quickly.”

Longstaff began the season in a hot streak of form, netting a handful of impressive long-range goals.

The midfielder, currently on loan from Premier League side Newcastle United, has five goals to his name.

Birmingham City winger Solomon-Otabor, meanwhile, has netted twice from 21 appearances.

With the January transfer window now just over three weeks away, Bowyer has admitted preparations are well under way to bolster his squad.

“We’re constantly looking,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a secret what we’re looking for, so we’re working very hard on that.

“It will certainly be an important window for us.”

The Seasiders are likely to be boosted by the return of Clark Robertson and Kyle Vassell for this weekend’s clash with the Millers.

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Robertson featured in the first half of Wednesday’s Checkatrade Trophy win over Mansfield only to be taken off at half-time as a precaution, while Vassell has trained all week.

Bowyer said: “Clark came through Wednesday’s game really well.

“He was typically disappointed (to come off) and wanted to stay on longer, but with the length of time he’s been out it was a sensible decision to just give him 45 minutes.

“You saw on Wednesday what an accomplished defender he is. He’s important to how we play with the ball and I haven’t seen many better centre-halves this season.

“Kyle’s had a good week’s training. We were disappointed he couldn’t make the Blackburn game but we didn’t want to lose him for more than one game.

“We’ve put a programme in place for him which hopefully looks after him even better.

“The poor lad has had to take on a lot of work on his own up there, so we’ve been looking at whether we can address that.”