Chief executive Simon Clegg has revealed that he, owner and chairman Marcus Evans and manager Paul Jewell held a five-hour meeting in Dublin to discuss next season’s budget and transfer plans. The trio were in the Irish capital, where Evans has his European headquarters, last Wednesday.

Clegg said: “During the meeting between Marcus, Paul and myself last week we talked about what sort of money would be available, the sort of players that we want to bring in and those that are out of contract that we want to keep.

“Those discussions are just in the process of being started now and I’m hoping that some of them will be done sooner rather than later.

“But I don’t want to be boxed into a corner on this because they’ll take as long as they’ll take and you’d not expect me to get those deals done at any price just for the sake of getting them done, that’s not good business.”

The chief executive says new manager Jewell wanted to assess the out of contract players before making any decisions: “Paul came in, wanted to take some time to look at the squad, he didn’t want to have his hand forced. We’ve done that and I think the players have accepted it.

“Publicly Paul has said that we wanted to get to the position where we’re guaranteed playing Championship football next season and I think three points on Saturday certainly helped on that.”

Clegg wouldn’t be drawn on whether the likes of Jimmy Bullard and Kieron Dyer would become permanent additions to Jewell’s squad, but isn’t ruling it out: “You wouldn’t expect me to back myself into a corner on that.

“I think Jimmy’s made a huge contribution since he arrived at the club, both on the pitch and in the dressing room, and was also fantastic with some of our corporate guests.

“He’s a pleasure to have around the place, but let’s see where we get to over the next couple of months.”

The former British Olympic Association chief says Marcus Evans’s intentions with Town remain the same: “The owner will want to support the new manager in the same way that he supported the old manager.

“If the ambition is still the same, and I can assure you that it is, then there’ll be no holding back, but conversely, don’t think it’s a blank chequebook because it’s not.

“I’m certainly not ruling out big money signings. I’m very excited from the conversations that the three of us had in Dublin last week.”

Photo: Action Images

fourth added 16:05 - Mar 22 It's really a question of investing 15 million in players. Not a lot If you want to be in business
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ITFC4EVER added 16:44 - Mar 22 Get Mcauley and D.D signed up. woudnt be too sad to see norris go. then work on our transfer targets.
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Blue041273 added 17:34 - Mar 22 Bluetone says it all. Strange all these 'positive' soundbites come out at the same time as the announcement of the rise in ticket prices.
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aldermastonblue added 18:26 - Mar 22 All depends on how much we get for wickham before they deside how much to spend...
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Karlosfandangal added 18:31 - Mar 22 Boyd of Peterborough Talking to Posh fans say he's brilliant or crap, there is no in between, he went to Forrest end of last season and they sent him back. Not sure if he could really make the differance for turning us in to Championship winning team
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aldermastonblue added 18:36 - Mar 22 Watched Boyd last night and was not impresed with him.We could find better.
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BlueBadger added 18:37 - Mar 22 This is how the meeting finished : PJ identifies players ME stumps up the cash Clegg takes the blame
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broomfield123 added 19:09 - Mar 22 How about paying what we owe the council first. Could be a useful start
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Worcester added 19:49 - Mar 22 Sign me! I'm Sh1t and will be 40 this year but as the trend in recent managers was to p1ss money away you could do worse...and have done
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Brockleyblue added 20:21 - Mar 22 Evans, you're a tax evading low life.
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broomfield123 added 20:47 - Mar 22 I could play aswell in place of maculey. Have the same pace and skill as maculey
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jas0999 added 20:48 - Mar 22 I have a bad feeling that ITFC are in a complete mess. Magilton payment made, Keane compensation ongoing. The risk of losing thousands of season ticket sales. A manager who insists on playing a negative one up front at home (sorry PJ fans - but no sign he intends to change this). Threat of a law suit from the council. 21 players out of contract - Clegg failing to sort this mess out - still hasn't. Don't be surprised to hear that we have little money for transfers. I hope I'm wrong - but ME has lost a lot of money from the World Cup/Olympics - and with outstanding money to pay - a loss on players who will leave for nothing - I simply don't see how PJ will have very much to spend. We can't continue to rely on ME - he doesn't have a bottomless pot of cash!

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Worcester added 21:15 - Mar 22 Sell Connor and use the proceeds t buy a team
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jas0999 added 21:30 - Mar 22 Worcester - I fear the club will have little choice but to sell Wickham. Hopefully Clegg will have negotiated a large released fee ....
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StochesStotasBlewe added 21:39 - Mar 22 It pains me to say this, but i think you are right jas0999. It appears that there will not be mahoosive amounts of money flying about, so to rebuild our team, some sacrifices seem like they will have to be made & unfortunately, i fear young Connor may well be sold. Hope i,m way off the mark on this.
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Blue041273 added 22:28 - Mar 22 Jas099, you may well be right. But just consider if the opposite is true. Granted ME does not have a pot of cash to chuck at our situation. But maybe he still feels that ITFC have a value in the football world. Even the Championship football world still has a lot to offer. It may still be worth persevering with; even another cash injection. another gamble to reach the promised land. OK these opportunities must be running out, but without ME what future is there?

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Marcus added 05:08 - Mar 23 As a non-dom (someone who doesn't pay UK tax) you can spend up to 182 days/year in the UK (or under half a year) to avoid UK tax. I'm a non-dom but I do have to pay my tax in Singapore. I also expect Evans splits his time in more than two countries so he can remain a non-dom in all of them. Personally I wouldn't call myself a tax exile but an expat as I live, (formerly study), work and pay tax in Singapore. I remember working for a software house where one of the co-owners would fly in only when needed in the UK for this reason, he was Jersey based, which I think allowed him to stay over the 182 days as I think the channel Islands are a special case. Where Marcus Evans lives at any given time is somewhat a mystery!

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