Keane Looking for Four New Signings
Saturday, 21st Aug 2010 10:05

Town manager Roy Keane says he’s looking at adding four players to the squad. The Blues boss, who is frustrated at the lack of new additions, says the Blues need to strengthen in order to take the pressure of the younger players.

Keane says he firstly needs to bring in frontmen: “We need some more goals in our team, in terms of attacking positions. Pablo has gone, Jon Walters has gone, there’s talk of Steady maybe going next week and Connor’s injured, so you’re talking about three or four strikers out of the squad already.

“We need one or two players there, probably somebody to cover in midfield and maybe another defender. People are talking about getting one player in, we need about four, and even then I probably wouldn’t be too happy, but four would probably steady the ship for us.”

The Town boss says the depth of his already injury-hit squad will be tested even more in the weeks to come: “We’ve got some big games coming up and in a couple of weeks a few lads are away at international matches and they don’t always come back fit.

“We’ve got a lot of young players and I don’t want to be putting pressure on the likes of Luke Hyam to be playing every week because, as I said over the weekend, they mightn’t pay for it this season but they will when they’re 24 or 25.”

Keane says that it is full-time signings he’d prefer to make rather than loans, but admitted that he is in the dark regarding how the final days of the transfer window will progress: “God knows where we’d be if it wasn’t for the loan players last season, but we can’t do that every season. We need the nucleus of our own players and that’s why the players I’ve targeted will be permanent deals.

“But sometimes these deals don’t happen, sometimes you wait until the end and they end up being loan deals. For me to try and predict what’s going to happen in the next few days is ridiculous.”

The Blues boss’s number one target through the summer is understood to have been Cardiff frontman Michael Chopra, but that at present the club are unwilling to pay the fee asked by the Bluebirds: “If someone gives them their valuation, then Chopra might go, but Ipswich wouldn’t meet that valuation at the moment.”

Meanwhile Keane has confirmed that striker Jon Stead has continued to speak with various clubs: “I think there have been more talks with Steady this week. But at the moment Steady’s involved with us at Palace because we need him.”

Bristol City are believed to have renewed their interest in the former England U21 international after earlier talks broke down, while Stead has also held dialogue with Blackpool and Cardiff City.

Keane says he has had loan enquiries regarding his younger players but until reinforcements are added to the squad none of them will be allowed to move on.

Photo: Action Images

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streety86 added 10:13 - Aug 21 Lets hope so, as long as they're not panic buys like last season at the last minute! We do seem a bit threadbare especially up front, bring in chopra, scotland, a midfielder and right back!! ITFC rejects 1-2 town COYB!!!!!
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denhamblue added 10:13 - Aug 21 um,expect more ,close to signing,almost here,near done and dusted,signing farces.
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bluefishx added 10:16 - Aug 21 Expect Keane to walk if he doesn't get his men.
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ITFCkezza added 10:21 - Aug 21 lost count of how many times i have heard something like this now. Until i see some action I cant get my hopes up like I have too many times this transfer window.
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hucks216 added 10:22 - Aug 21 This saga has last minute panic buys written all over it - again.
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mickeyjb added 10:22 - Aug 21

What a fcuking farce,

We know how many players we needed before we shipped out all the deadwood (and then some as Jo Walters was not deadwood) so how much do Cardif want for Chopra? and to me it sounds like we are now seeing stead as one of our only strike options whilst trying to bin him! And the good news is Kerry "who" Baptist 'might' be coming back for a trial, woopie do

So sick of all the BS

Karlosfandangal added 10:31 - Aug 21

Fed up with all this transfer talk.If you count loans thats 14 players out and 5 in. On a average of 10k a week we are saving 90k or 4.5 million a year. We have spend 1 Million and made 3Million.

With the transfer budget for this season we have enough money to make a move for Keanes number one target.
Has ME no ambition or was all the talk of getting Ipswich in the prem just talk.
Keane will leave and

Karlosfandangal added 10:34 - Aug 21 Sorry Cont Keane will leave as he did at Sunderland if he cant get the players in. Can you blame him if he does what is the point of being a manager if you cant manage and are held responcible for your club results.
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Mark added 10:40 - Aug 21

This is almost a repeat of the story from the end of last season when Keane said he wanted four or five new players. We have had all summer, so where are they?! Perhaps the blame can be shared three ways: Evans for not making funds available, Clegg for not doing the deals, and Keane for choosing targets who are too expensive and sometimes getting priorities wrong.

As for pushing Stead out to a rival club for £225K after his good start to the season and when we are so lacking up front, this is surely total madness. Does anyone agree with it?!

denhamblue added 10:43 - Aug 21 oh dear you lot are in trouble,negative remarks tut tut,
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canveyblue added 10:51 - Aug 21 Evans/Clegg- sort it out!
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lawshallgirls added 10:52 - Aug 21 chopra,scotland,finnan and macormac 2-1 to the new town wat about giving wigan stead as part of the scotland deal then they wont have to find a replacement
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robdaful added 10:57 - Aug 21 Lets hope we do sign these players. Its so frustrasting for us fans but its even worse for Keane as its his head it falls on and not that t*wt Clegg's head. Cut out the middle man. And get Evans to say how much wages Keane can give out to each target Eg 12k to Chopra, 10k for Scotland. And have Keane tie up the transfers. Why do we need Clegg.
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Suffolk_n_Good added 11:00 - Aug 21 Agree, totally fed up with all this so called "transfer talk" until they've signed on the dotted line I dont want to hear about it, coz all it does is build expectation, for us fans to be let down again.
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Wickets added 11:01 - Aug 21 Stead in the prem?? Dont think Keane will walk, busy couple of weeks ahead.Chopra Scotland Finnan Macormac WOW
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BasingstokeBranch added 11:02 - Aug 21 Talk, talk, talk........ I'm so sick of this.
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hucks216 added 11:02 - Aug 21

I don't think there is any point going on about Chopra. If we were going to sign him he would of been at Town by now. And getting him has become harder with Bellamy going to Cardiff as with him, Chopra & Boothroyd leading the line (and not forgetting Whittingham) they have a good chance of going up this season and he won't throw that chance away to come to Suffolk. The only way we will get him is if Cardiff collapse and go into administration. The only striker that will leave Cardiff is McCormack and I wouldn't put money on him arriving either.

robdaful added 11:02 - Aug 21 lawshallgirls - if we could pull them 4 signings off then. We'd be in the play-off at the very least.
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roytheboy added 11:03 - Aug 21

With respect Mr Evans & Mr Clegg, if you trouble to read the supporters views on this site ! please support your Manager before it is too late, he is a good honest man & needs your financial backing immediately, we need Chopra now & you promised that the money would be available after we had moved other players on, which we have, you have received a substantial fee for Walters & most supporters expect you to support us who have bought season tickets again in the expectation that you will keep your promise, Roy Keane is starting to show that he is going to be a very good Manager, I always have believed that he would, however you are risking losing him & quite probably many supporters if you do not strengthen the squad as requested by the Manager URGENTLY. please take heed !!!!!!!!

BlueBoots added 11:03 - Aug 21

An experienced right-back (preferably for next to nowt) to take the pressure off JP having to play 40+ games there this season.

An experienced holding midfielder (preferably for next to nowt) to take the pressure off LH having to play 40+ games there this season.

A quality right-winger to replace Walters and challenge Edwards for that spot in the 4-3-3.

Break the bank for a top quality experienced central striker for the 4-3-3 - might need to take a bit of a hit on the wage bill for this, but with the number of top earners RK has managed to shift out, surely there must be some scope for this?

Personally, I wouldn't be shelling out £1m for Jason Scotland while Benjani is still a free agent... :^D

jayessess added 11:11 - Aug 21 If we need squad depth why the hell are we still looking to offload Stead?
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JetaimePeters added 11:14 - Aug 21 Pop down to Bournemouth in a helicopter, pick up Brett Pitman, give him a shirt and drop him at the centre circle of Selhurst Park for 3! Go on Keano! Your chopper is parked outside!
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brittaniaman added 11:17 - Aug 21 I see Palace have signed Marrow from Blackburn in time for this afternoons game I do not know how they have had time to get about like they have , but certainly have done it. 1111
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