On-loan midfielder Keith Andrews’s wage demands could scupper his January move away from Blackburn Rovers, according to one of this morning’s tabloids. The 31-year-old Irishman is said to want £22,000-a-week from the various interested parties.

Aston Villa are believed to be leading the race for Andrews, who is understood to be available on a free transfer with Blackburn keen to rid themselves of the remaining 18 months of his current contract, but are stalling due to his wage demands. Bolton, Swansea and Everton are similarly claimed to be reluctant.

Town boss Paul Jewell is keen to keep the Republic of Ireland international at Portman Road but a salary in that region would put the former MK Dons man amongst the Blues’ very top earners.

In the summer, Rovers produced a sales brochure which they sent to other clubs outlining the current wages of players they were looking to offload.

That document stated that Andrews’s Blackburn contract is worth £21,000-a-week plus a £2,000 payment for every game he plays.

The Dubliner’s wages rise by £5,000 after every five Premier League matches in which he is involved and he is also due an annual additional payment of £26,667.

Andrews's loan is up after Saturday's FA Cup tie at Hull City - with Rovers having given permission for him to play - but Town's nine-goal top scorer is unlikely to be involved at the KC Stadium due to the torn hamstring which is set to keep him out of action for around another month.

Elsewhere, Wolves are claimed to have been eyeing Daryl Murphy, who is on loan with the Blues from Celtic for the season.

Unless there is a specific clause in the loan deal regarding January offers from elsewhere, it would appear the Premier League side would have to wait until the summer before making a move if there is anything in the report.

Photo: Action Images

Photo: Action Images

strikalite added 10:01 - Jan 1 This is the problem with bringing in these loan players from the Prem, it's simply just a shop window for the bigger boys, he isn't worth the wages he is demanding - from our point of view anyway...good player and of course would like him here but he's 31 now and injury niggles like the one he has now would firmly put me off him - the wage factor would just cement that..

0

hadleighboyblue added 10:09 - Jan 1 if these reported wage demands are true , we shouldn't even be thinking about signing him and if wolves want murphy , they are welcome to him and his wage demands too . Please Ipswich , get back to developing our own players and not paying high wages to players that are not part of our club
0

tractorboybig added 10:10 - Jan 1 if true, big if, good bye.
0

itfc1981 added 10:38 - Jan 1 Insane 'his wages go up by 5 grand every five games in the Pl' Football is sick.
0

rosseden added 10:51 - Jan 1 If the five grand thing was true and he was all but ever present for this season and next season with blackburn, his salary would have ended up being 96k per week, someone has something wrong somewhere there surely?! No one is stupid enough to sign a contract like that. . . . .
0

Dissboyitfc added 10:58 - Jan 1 THATS A YEARS WAGES, FOR LOTS OF PEOPLE,sorry for stating the obvious but greed will eventually kill off this beautiful game. if true about his demands let him go and warm the bench at blackburn...and miss out on the euros... thanks for the goals...coyb
0

rosseden added 11:03 - Jan 1 On another note i wonder if my company would consider paying me an extra grand or two for every four or five weeks i turn up for work there. . . . . That's only fair right?!
0

StanwayBlue added 11:10 - Jan 1 No thanks! I fear we are paying Bullard that much - ludicrous in the current economic climate. Football will eat itself!!!
0

clive_baker added 11:14 - Jan 1 The 5k things sounds crazy. As others have said his salary would have been nearly 100k per week at the end of his contract if he was a regular for Blackburn and that could have been in the Championship. We'll miss his goal threat but as others have said move on and put the money towards securing Carson another deal and developing our own talent or permanant deals for younger players a la Cresswell

0

carsey added 11:21 - Jan 1 This is exactly why, short of real emergency cover, we should not use loans. These players are never gonna sign for town and are no where near worth the money they are asking. Lets face it if they were really any good the Man City's and Man Utd's of this world would have snapped them up long ago. Please start using our own kids and signings from outside the old crocks of the Premier League. Even if we take the pain of a drop down another league just look up the road at what can be achieved with good management

0

Marcus added 11:22 - Jan 1 There are rare occasions where I need to make up a word to describe how I feel. That's the mercenariest contract I've ever seen.
0

Karlosfandangal added 11:22 - Jan 1 Andrews has done well for us, but we are still 19th in the Championship. Dont understand with the player we have why we are not up there pushing for the play offs Far too much money to pay a player, look for a young lad who still wants to make it and pay him 10 to 15 grand a week (still too much in my eyes) Come bottom of the prem this year and you will get 80 million over the next 4 years so you can see why these players want so much money.

0

tractorboybig added 11:28 - Jan 1 by the way, surely no one can criticise Andrews for signing that contract. I am sure there is not one person connect with town who in similar cicumstances would have done the same.
0

irishtim added 11:38 - Jan 1 He will sign & for a lot less. Roughly 12 grand with bonus if we go up in next two seasons. Keep the faith
0

blrmy added 11:43 - Jan 1 The financially sick side of Footie if true :(
0

rosseden added 11:45 - Jan 1 I agree IrishTim. Just think its mental that a clause like that exists in any contract. Can't knock Andrews for signing it but what kind of nutjob at blackburn would put it in?!
0

MickMillsTash added 11:55 - Jan 1 Without him the midfield lacks goals - so lets hope we can work something out. His experience will be useful if we are to build a side of eager yougsters- it seems we are miles of a play off push. Any news on a Centre Back?
0

itfc1981 added 11:56 - Jan 1 Rosseden, Clegg?
0

Breedonblue added 11:58 - Jan 1 Being the optimist I am, here's another slant on it. He's asking that much to put off the Premiership teams, as he knows he'd just be a squad player. If IrishTim is correct and he does want to come to Town, then he knows he can't expect that much here. If Blackburn were stupid enough to offer him that contract in the first place then more fool them.
0

Mungo added 11:59 - Jan 1 So it IS all about the money then? Well, I never saw that one coming... KA has done well, but have seen enough players coming in on big salaries in recent years and not really taking the team forward. Would rather see the money spent on promising/hard working players from the lower leagues who would jump at the chance to play for a club like ITFC.
0

billlm added 12:32 - Jan 1 dissilushioned with the whole town thing miss out on good young players pay over the top wages for has beens and have an owner who could easily afford one or two top championship signings to boost and cheer everyone up really is a crock latley,now watch norwich sign maynard or rhodes
0

cunning_stunt added 12:45 - Jan 1 Puts into perspective the 2 and a bit million that it would cost for the fully fledged academy. We must invest for the long term.
0

brd added 13:06 - Jan 1 We shouldn't consider signing him permanently if he demands wages like that, and that contract he's on now is pathetic! We should invest our money in producing talent or finding it, or sign a hungry young player from another club who wants to play regular football and progress in the sport itself... not another has-been who is playing for a pay check.
0

Ely_Blue added 13:24 - Jan 1 Just a thought what do we think the likes of Bowyer are earning then? He can't be far off the 20k a week mark
0

Garv added 13:30 - Jan 1 Not worth that in my and many other's opinion. But at the end of the day its not the fans job to worry about finances. If we can afford it we can afford it. Wouldn't you just be happy getting 15k a week? Money is stupid in this game.
0

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls