Boss Paul Jewell says Town owner Marcus Evans and Lee Martin’s agent were deep in conversation regarding the midfielder’s new contract on Wednesday evening. The Blues manager is keen to get the 25-year-old, whose current deal is up at the end of the season, secured for the long term.

Jewell said: “I was trying to get through to the owner for about two hours [on Wednesday] night and he was on the phone to Lee Martin’s agent.

“I’m trying to stay out of the money side of it and let the owner and Simon do that. We want to keep our best players, but also we don’t want their contracts to run out.

“With Grant, Gareth McAuley and Chuck, the players’ contracts were probably left too late and they walked away for free and we don’t want to do that.”

He says Martin, who joined the Blues from Manchester United for a fee believed to have been around £2 million in the summer of 2009, is amongst his key players: “I want to keep Lee Martin, everyone wants to keep Lee Martin, he’s an important part of what we’re doing.

“We want players who are committed and we want players like Lee Martin here for the next three or four years, and beyond.

“Hopefully, him and his agent and the club can sort something out. I definitely want him to stay, so all being well that will get sorted.”

Jewell has praise for Martin and Michael Chopra for their hard work during Town’s good start to the season, and not just in an attacking sense: “As well as passing the ball, we’re trying to close the ball down very quickly as well, play a pressing game. Michael Chopra and Lee Martin are setting that off at the moment and we want that to continue.”

The Blues boss says Chopra, the scorer of the winning goal at his former loan club Watford on Tuesday, has got his season off to an excellent start: “I’ve always thought that he was one of the best players in the league anyway. Michael’s problems in the past have been well documented.

“The club has worked exceptionally hard and spent a lot of time and energy on Michael because he’s a top player, and in fairness to him, he’s bought into that.

“He looked very sharp in pre-season. I know some people were saying after the game that that was his first goal in 12 games, but I wasn’t aware that he didn’t score for the last nine games of last season, I forgot all about that.

“Since he’s come back for pre-season, he’s been in good physical shape, good mental shape and he’s an integral part of our team.”

Photo: Action Images

billlm added 06:30 - Aug 24 good my favourite
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village_blue added 06:53 - Aug 24 for goodness sake don't let this deal fail. We can't afford to let Lee walk away for nothing.
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irishtim added 07:11 - Aug 24 Will relax when he signs. Very important player for the system we play.
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Bleedingblue added 08:06 - Aug 24 Agree irishtim. Surely there's money from the wages saved from the likes of Bullard and Leadbitter to give him a decent contract. Think he warrants being joint top earner from his effort and performances of late, but for all we know he could be the top earner already!
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flashblue added 08:07 - Aug 24 No way we will meet his demands. Don't know why Jewel needs to give a running commentary on every contract meeting, phone call and potential transfer, just makes him look a dick.
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algarvefan added 09:52 - Aug 24 Sign him up, important part of the jigsaw and a key figure in the team
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HelmondSchportITFC added 10:18 - Aug 24 flashblue - what is Jewell supposed to do if someone asks him the question? If he makes no comment he'll get slated and you'll be saying why arnt we sorting these contracts out.
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Michael11 added 10:19 - Aug 24 Couldn't agree more he's been our best player in the last 12 months in my opinion! offer him a minimum of 3 years!
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Mungo added 11:49 - Aug 24 Would like LM to stay, but the ball is firmly in his court now. He knows he can walk away for free at the end of his contract, so it will depend on how reasonable he is willing to be in terms of his demands. I expect that the club will offer him the best deal they can under FFP but I'm not convinced he will take it. Forgive me for being cynical, but there have been too many players in recent years who "wanted to stay" and then jumped ship at the first opportunity.

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Mark added 12:23 - Aug 24 “With Grant, Gareth McAuley and Chuck, the players' contracts were probably left too late...” Probably?! That's nearly £6M of transfer fees down the drain. I had hoped we would have sorted our Martin weeks ago, but it is positive that talks are taking place. The problem is if these talks break down, there is only a week until the transfer window closes so a sale would be very unlikely at this late stage which makes Martin's negotiating position stronger.

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hollywoodginge added 13:53 - Aug 24 And to think it doesn't seem long ago most wanted rid of him, showing the class now that qualified him to be part of the Man Utd set up and to be highly thought of by probably the greatest ever manager. So pleased its finally working out for him here, a fantastic player, professional and example. couldn't have been easy for him in the beggining but having been very well managed by Paul Jewell, we are now reaping the rewards and whilst he was once hailed a waste of money, he now looks a bargain at the fee we paid. Well done Lee!

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Bergholtblue added 14:08 - Aug 24 I hope he signs. To be fair when he arrived and was played as an out an out winger, he was poor. Last season was a big season for him and the role just behind Chopra is ideal. Still runs about like a booking waiting to happen, but that is not all a bad thing, I like to see forwards hustling the full backs. On another note, it is interesting that ME is in direct talks with LM's agent. I for one am pleased that ME is hands on and getting involved, but on the other hand, if I owned a football club and employed a CEO at a not inconsiderable wage, would I not not expect him to do these negotiations? Could we read into this that SC's track record so far is such that ME feels he needs more of an input?

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toforoge added 14:43 - Aug 24 Unfortunatly see him leaving for about 1 mil. He is on a good contract and dont see us matching that, so little incentive to sign. We could yet end uo with edu if Lee leeves. It however would show a great comitment and belief in the team if he signs, so lets hope!
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Ipswich24 added 14:50 - Aug 24 Has been best player for while, works so hard he deserves new deal
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TractorBeezer added 16:48 - Aug 24 Provided that we are putting a fair offer on the table Lee would be smart to commit to another three or so years. He is not the kind of player that will walk into a new club and automatically nail down a preferred starting position e.g.. at Man U, various loans, Ipswich under Keane and initially under PJ. It was thanks to PJ who had faith in his potential, sorted him out and utilised him in an effective role. Now the supporters are also behind him. These factors alone have significant value and should weigh heavily in his decision making. And if PJ successfully completes our rebuilding we could be a Premier team again in the forseeable future. Sign on the dotted line Lee!

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Arthur added 20:30 - Aug 24 Hallel Furkin lujah !! very pleased ME is dealing
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flashblue added 06:59 - Aug 25 Helmand. He just needs to make a general point about wanting to keep our best players and when there's something to be announced, he will announce it. Certainly doesn't need to go into details about specific phone calls. What a knob!
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