You don't have to have a degree in reading between the lines to know that Ashton will be officially hanging up his boots before the end of the season. I'm not sure what exactly is happening, but my guess is that there is some haggling going on "off stage" over the settlement of the contract. Presumably, Ashton has been insured by the club and AXA, or whoever, are demanding conclusive proof that the guy cannot play any more. There is probably a loss adjuster saying, "Hang on, you played Tristan and he couldn't run or jump so why isn't Ashton up to leading your line?"
I have been predicting for the best part of a year that, one way or another, we wouldn't see Ashton playing again in C&B. Stoke clearly fancied him but must have seen his medical report before backing out. Duxbury has gone quiet on Beano and Zola isn't terribly convincing when denying the rumours that Ashton's career is over. I suspect that there is an argument still that Ashton is bottling it, over-reacting to the twinges of pain he suffers as he tries to pivot and land on his suspect ankle. Pain thresholds are very personal and mental firewalls can be difficult to overcome. Alternatively, Ashton may be trying to resist official foreclosure of his career in order to maximise his salary take ahead of a final termination settlement.
From the club's point of view, the sooner this is settled the better. Ashton's salary is a huge drain on resources whilst the insurance pay off could be used to secure a replacement.
How could we afford to bid for Chamakh? The only logical explanation is that we were expecting Beano's retirement and the compensation settlement.
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