Killie have made Bobby Wales a 'fantastic offer' - it's time for him to decide
The 19-year-old's current Kilmarnock deal expires at the end of the season - so, he is free to sign a pre-contract elsewhere.
Derek McInnes insists Kilmarnock have done all that they can to convince Bobby Wales to sign a new contract at the club.
Now, it is up to the 19-year-old to decide where his future lies, with Killie tabling a ‘fantastic offer’.
Wales’ current deal expires at the end of the season - so, he is free to sign a pre-contract elsewhere.
The striker joined the gaffer in the club’s pre-St Johnstone media duties on Wednesday afternoon at Rugby Park.
We’ll bring you Bobby’s quotes later in the week, but here is every word of what the gaffer had to say on the forward’s situation, the game against Saints and Tom Wilson-Brown…
Any reason why Bobby is up for press?
“There’s no ulterior reason other than he’s not been up here for a while.
“We’ve been trying to find a solution for a while now. We’ve made a fantastic offer – it really is.
“We can see the benefits of Bobby being here. Obviously, I’m biased as a manager, I want to work with him for longer. There are lots of benefits to being patient, and playing in a first-team – hopefully, that’s the case here with Bobby.
“Lennon Miller may be an example of that. He could have left at 16 or 17. Lennon’s dad is involved in football, and he’s got good people advising him. He saw the sense in staying and playing games to do the yards.
“He’ll get the benefit of that. He’ll not just get any move, he’ll get a brilliant move at the end of it.
“Bobby is a Kilmarnock fan, he stays local, he’s been here a long time, there are a lot of people invested in him at the club, and everyone thinks the world of him.
“He’s doing well, which is great. We just want him to keep focussing on his performances.”
Will it benefit him to stay and continue to learn from Vassell and Watkins?
“He’s a talented player but he’s still got a lot to learn. Alloa were brilliant with him on his loan last year, and we were delighted with it. It was the right step for him at that stage.
“He came back for pre-season to be one of our four/five strikers to try and get himself involved. I always go with two strikers anyway, so I think the fact we’re not asking him to go up there on his own to lead the line as a number nine, that’s so difficult for any young striker, has helped him, whether it’s with Vassell, Watkins, Anderson or Cameron.
“He’s got a lot of good influences here from the staff and his teammates.”
At the other end of the scale, he’s got David Watson who has shown the amount of games you can get at first-team level to reach where you want to be
“Davey is one who has got a lot of attention in the last couple of seasons. That’s mainly down to his ability to cope with the Premiership at a young age.