Danny Batth: Wolves fans’ support means a lot to Carl Ikeme
Wolves skipper Danny Batth says support from fans is helping Carl Ikeme as he battles leukaemia.
The 31-year-old goalkeeper is undergoing strenuous treatment two months after being diagnosed with the disease.
Close friend Batth is in regular contact with the Nigeria international.
And the Brierley Hill-born centre-half says Ikeme is regularly boosted by the fantastic support he’s received from Wolves and the wider football family.
“Carl’s doing well – he’s going through an intense period of treatment at the moment but he’s keeping his spirits up,” Batth told the Express & Star.
“I speak to him and FaceTime him as often as possible.
“He’s been keeping a very close eye on the results and I know how pleased he is with the start we’ve made this season.
“The support for him has been incredible and it definitely makes a difference to his morale. I know how much he and his family appreciate it.
“It’s amazing how much money has been raised so far – the whole club has come together for him, as well as the rest of the football world.”
Well more than £70,000 has been raised for Cure Leukaemia with a family event at Molineux on Saturday adding to the fundraising pot.
Meanwhile, Batth has paid tribute to long-serving team-mates Dave Edwards and Nouha Dicko, who both left the club before last week’s transfer deadline.
Edwards departed for Reading in a £1million deal after almost 10 years at the club, while striker Dicko joined Hull for £3.5m to end a three-and-a-half-year stay.
Batth said of the pair: “It’s been a privilege to have played with Eddo all these years. He gave so much to Wolves on and off the field and has been a true professional.
“To spend almost 10 years at one club is pretty rare these days but it shows you how highly everyone thought of him.
“He’s been a great guy to have around the place and a role model for the younger players.
“Him and Nouha will both be missed in the dressing room. Nouha scored some crucial goals for us and did so well to battle back from an horrific injury.
“I wish them both all the best at their new clubs, but just not when they play Wolves! They were both great servants to Wolves but they’ve moved on now, that’s football. I’m very confident in the squad we have going into the rest of the season.”
