Blues boss Paul Jewell says Town continue to talk to Portsmouth regarding their triple bid for Jason Pearce, Joel Ward (pictured) and Stephen Henderson. The Town manager, who confirmed that Falkirk central defender Murray Wallace is at the club today, as reported by TWTD this morning, says the Blues could yet sign any number of the Pompey three before Tuesday evening's deadline.

Jewell said: “I just spoke to the owner after training and the two clubs [are talking]. It’s difficult because we don’t quite know who we’re dealing with, whether it’s the administrator [of Portsmouth’s parent company Convers Sports Initiatives] or the chief executive [of Portsmouth].

“We made an offer for three Portsmouth players last week. The names I’m not prepared to divulge, I don’t think that’s right.

“That was rejected and the clubs are still talking. Whether we get one player, two players or three players is still up in the air.”

He admits that Pompey’s financial situation — CSI are in administration while the club itself is facing a winding-up order — is not helping matters: “Complicated is not the word. It’s complicated to the nth degree.”

Jewell says the possibility of skipper Grant Leadbitter and Damien Delaney going the other way hasn’t come up in discussions he’s been involved in, although he has heard the suggestion mooted: “I wasn’t quite sure where those names came from because they’ve never been mentioned to me.

“When I spoke to [Portsmouth manager] Michael Appleton last week - and I’ve only had one conversation with Michael to tell him we were interested in the players - we never mentioned any of our players going there.

“As far as I’m aware at the moment, there’s been no contact, there have been no enquiries about Grant and Damien. I’ve heard that on the grapevine but it’s news to me.”

The Blues had an offer for Falkirk’s Murray Wallace accepted last week and Jewell confirmed that the 19-year-old is at Playford Road today for a look around and to talk personal terms.

Town, Brighton, Huddersfield and probably other clubs have all agreed a £300,000 plus add-ons deal with Falkirk for the former Rangers trainee who will return to the Scottish League Division One side for the rest of the season under the terms of those agreements.

Jewell said: “He’s been up here this morning but he’s got a few clubs to speak to. He’s a young lad and it’s a big decision for him.

“I know he’s been to Brighton and I know he’s going to a couple of places after us. We have to respect that.

“He’s one for the future. He’s probably not ready to go into the Championship quite yet but we’d like to bring him in and do that for the future. Whether that happens is down to a lot of factors.”

While Jewell ideally wants permanent signings, he says players could come in on loan if longer term deals can’t be done before the window slams shut: “In the Football League, at least the loan market is open to us, so even when the window closes tomorrow at 11pm, it opens next week for loans. So, it’s not as final as it is in the Premier League.

“We do have alternatives in the loan market but I want to start bringing in players here that we can have permanently.

“Whether we can do that with the players that we’ve mentioned [I'm not sure], there’s a lot of hard work. It’s been going on for weeks now, weeks and weeks, and it’s getting critical now because the window closes.”

Jewell says Town are not one of the clubs to have made an offer for Crawley striker Tyrone Barnett and is not targeting Liverpool youngster Jon Flanagan.

Photo: Action Images

Tmilsted added 15:12 - Jan 30 £2 million plus Grant Leadbitter and Damien Delaney for all 3 players, everyone's happy!
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icetruckiller added 15:12 - Jan 30 That sounds like 'We've bid for 4 or so players, but we have little or no chance of getting them. So I'll be getting a couple of 30+ players in at the 11th hour.
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kerryblue added 15:18 - Jan 30 Talks that usually take so long with ITFC in recent times mean nothing will happen,players from the Scottish league wont do the business this season.
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HolbrookBlue added 15:18 - Jan 30 It is becoming more apparent that talks are not at an advanced stage and that the players have yet to be spoken to. No indications they will want to come here so it looks like we will have to soldier on with the players already here, whatever that might bring!
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cornishnick added 15:23 - Jan 30 I'd rather keep Delaney to be honest for backup
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BROTHERBLUE1974 added 15:25 - Jan 30 Tick Tock, time is running out jewell..
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Sindre94 added 15:26 - Jan 30 Please get them Paul! DOnt wanna end up with 5 hasbeens
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itfc1981 added 15:27 - Jan 30 He's probably not ready to go into the Championship quite yet but we'd like to bring him in and do that for the future. Whether that happens is down to a lot of factors.” You sure know how to make a player want to come dont you Paul.
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bluenut added 15:31 - Jan 30 Come on town get it sorted and give the crowd a lift tomorrow.
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Stato added 15:35 - Jan 30 Meanwhile Southampton, West Ham, Leicester and others are all getting deals done and for much more established players. All very disappointing.
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Hungry_Badger added 15:45 - Jan 30 I'm not getting a good feeling about all this, its taken us two weeks to get this far and we still haven't even got a bid accepted yet, can't see us getting any of the above and PJ will probably sign Stern John as a plan B.
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hucks216 added 15:51 - Jan 30 And Southampton sign Billy Sharpe without any hassles.
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TractorMan added 15:53 - Jan 30 Be positive - Jewell said we would get one, two or three of the Pompey players - not zero!!
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billlm added 15:54 - Jan 30 im normally positive on here but this has negativity written all over it sorry to say this
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nitroblue1970 added 16:00 - Jan 30 nothing going to happen with this, we are incapable of closing deals but i did note that he has paved the way for more loan deals to be done ad there are alternative deals available...so expect more loanee, out of favour journeymen arriving soon! great, cant wait, I hear ghengis khan is available until May as the raping and pillaging season is closed until then as its a bit chilly in his home region at the moment...he could add some real steel to our defence, although decapitating strikers with a huge blade will probably see him get a straight red, unless the ref doesnt see it but FA charges are likely to follow and a 4 game ban will ensue........(sigh)......

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lawshallgirls added 16:05 - Jan 30 "whether we get one player, two players or three players is still up in the air" So we will defiantly get at least one of them?!? :) hope so ;)
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tractorboy2434 added 16:16 - Jan 30 Our club management really are a joke, is it any wonder we cannot get players, no money for fees, wages and no appreciable scouting network for the lower divisions, we will have to stumble along until May but Evans then needs to act because Jewell appears clueless, I suppose if he is not prepared to back a manager with money then there is little point in another change.

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wrightyblue added 16:25 - Jan 30 Put a quick bid in for sharp and collins b4 they go to Southampton and leicester! U idiots !!!
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VanIsleBlue added 16:26 - Jan 30 Clegg is the problem here can nobody see? The club has plummeted since he got here. So we are desperate for signings and we have 31 days to get them...its day 30 and we have a piece of garbage keeper who is on loan and not available, a player (who will be good) not fit enough to make an impact and MAYBE anothe Scot who is not good enough to play now but might be in the future. What a waste of time and we still have NO RIGHT BACK!

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Keaneish added 16:26 - Jan 30 I think the signing of billy sharp is a hell of a lot more straight forward than this one though!
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bigolconnor added 16:27 - Jan 30 Southampton got Collins too. Poor old Ipswich. Sinking ship. Oh the HORROR!!!
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TractorRoyNo1 added 16:31 - Jan 30 GL will not going anywhere until he signs for LUFC in June on a 'free'. "Jewell says the possibility of skipper Grant Leadbitter and Damien Delaney going the other way hasn't come up in discussions he's been involved in"
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MickMillsTash added 16:34 - Jan 30 it would be nice if the deals are done but the window is not shut yet. Lets see what happens - save the frustrations for tomorrow night and getting behind the players we do have.
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itfchorry added 16:36 - Jan 30 Clegg Out
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stewartwonderland added 16:39 - Jan 30 "We don't quite know who we are dealing with" this deal sounds way too complicated, I hope I'm wrong but I can't see it happening.
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