Former Blue Connor Wickham is being linked with a summer return to Town by reports in the North-East. The 19-year-old joined Sunderland last summer for an initial fee of £8.1 million but has made only six starts and 12 sub appearances this season, scoring one goal.

Blues boss Paul Jewell is said to have previously enquired about the possibility of Wickham returning on loan two months after the striker’s move but with then-Black Cats manager Steve Bruce not keen.

However, current boss Martin O’Neill is believed to be more open to the idea of a temporary switch, feeling that the England U21 international needs to play more first team football before he is ready to be a regular in the Premier League with Town likely to head the clubs interested in taking him.

Jewell said on Thursday that he has already made enquiries about bringing Premier League players in on loan for next season: “That’s one route that we’re looking at. The problem is getting in quickly. I spoke to a club yesterday about a couple of their young players and the queue’s a mile long.”

Photo: Action Images

BYRNE_16 added 10:21 - Apr 29 I reckon it will be a loan.....
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ITFCMonk added 10:22 - Apr 29 MY DREAM COME TRUE
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tractorboy2434 added 10:23 - Apr 29 Absolute tosh, won't happen, just how much money do people imagine that we have, we are strapped for cash and won't be in the market for Prem players.
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ITFC4daprem added 10:23 - Apr 29 yes please
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buryblue77 added 10:23 - Apr 29 A few on here have spoken about this and I don't feel it's worthwhile. Whilst we have scored as many as Reading we have also had a massive inability to convert chances and I don't feel that Wickham is an outright goalscorer. What he is in my view is a Scowcroft type player (I'm going to get slated for this but I never really rated him all that highly, good but I never saw the hyp that most did) but the problem is that the goal scoring striker we're in need of is not exactly going to easy to get.

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BlueArmy99 added 10:23 - Apr 29 WE LOVE YOU WICKHAM WE DO WE LOVE YOU WICKHAM WE DO COME BACK WICKHAM COME ON
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imallblue added 10:24 - Apr 29 He's not exactly a "prem player" tractorboy2434
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blackheath_blue added 10:25 - Apr 29 Ahh the wonderfully ephemeral world of a team full of loanees. Oh to bring through a few kids into the side - and not sell them - to have to avoid this.
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theblueginger added 10:26 - Apr 29 Goal scoring isn't our problem. We made money out of him. Move on.
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Tractorboy24 added 10:27 - Apr 29 Wouldn't be a bad loan signing for a season. Him playing up alongside chopra may release the space for chopra to get into.
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sirbenofmorlingshire added 10:28 - Apr 29 Can someone correct me if I'm wrong but I swear to god this season must be a record for the amount of players we've had on loan, it's so not the way forward. It's like Hire Purchase on a car, you never own it then feel disapointed when you realise you can't afford the big payment to keep it after the deal ends and have to give it back and get something else. Really not a massive fan of the loan system, you're just doing another teams work for a player who has little or no commitment to your club, you rarely get a huge benefit from these deals. I think some quality long term signings (whatever that might be considered in football these days - can we get someone who'd want to do 3 seasons as part of consistant 1st team?!?) are needed over the summer PJ, loans are not the way to go, just have a look at our goalkeeping situation this year.

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buryblue77 added 10:31 - Apr 29 Theblueginger, I beg to differ. How many games have we had multiple shots on goal and failed to convert. Defense is a bigger problem but if we'd only had another striker who could get 10-15 (that's not too much to ask is it?) maybe we'd have won another 5 games and there's your play off place.
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Special_A added 10:32 - Apr 29 He would be a great signing and would score a lot of goals. Get him on a 6 month or season long loan-perfect!
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gibbo added 10:33 - Apr 29 Did I dream about a week ago about not getting in loan players ?
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legoman added 10:36 - Apr 29 No thanks. We want our own team. Loan players are for desperate measures.
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strikalite added 10:43 - Apr 29 I can handle having Wickham back on loan perhaps, but the mention of other prem players coming here on loan again is not what we want, why can't he grasp what Norwich have done? I want to see young exciting prospects come here wanting their chance and seeing us as a big step up for them, that's when you get the best out of a player surely...and they're OUR players too, players we can build with!!

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Gazelle added 10:43 - Apr 29 Buryblue i quite agree. He only got rave reports because of his young age, just an average player to be honest.
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Wickets added 10:48 - Apr 29 No more loans please been there done that did not work, first job should be build our own tean.Get a spine in the team, Goalie Centre half big centre foward.It aint rocket science.
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buryblue77 added 10:50 - Apr 29 Thanks Gazelle, I thought I may get some stick for my view. Agreed with strikalite, ambitious players from lower leagues are what we need, I'd rather us take a punt on Gary Madine (if Wednesday don't get promotion) rather than someone who to be honest is unproven even when he played for us. £8.1m bought potential, that's all.
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Gazelle added 10:50 - Apr 29 A lot of talk about our inability to convert chances on here but the simple fact is that we concede too many. No one should have to score three to win a match, keep a clean sheet and you don't lose.
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Mark added 10:53 - Apr 29 I can quite believe that Sunderland would like Wickham to join Ipswich on loan, as he needs to play games to develop into the player they want him to be. At the moment he looks far short of Premier League standard. The question is, do we want him? We would be developing a player for another team and I would prefer to see us bring in young players on permanent signings so that we can enjoy it as they get better and build for the future of ITFC. We have to stop the short termism of recent years and go for a Burley-style development of the squad over a number of years. For all the failings, we have made a start with Cresswell and Emmanuel-Thomas and we need to continue down that route rather than loans.

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patrickswell added 11:01 - Apr 29 Too many sensible comments on this post. To build a team for the future takes vision, and that's something that Jewell palpably does not have.
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Stevehowyabeen added 11:03 - Apr 29 IMO go for Jordan Rhodes!
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buryblue77 added 11:09 - Apr 29 Steve, I reckon if we wanted to buy either player we'd be able to buy wickham for less than Rhodes, or that may depend of whether Huddersfield get promotion.
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Hoppersblue10 added 11:28 - Apr 29 Jewell said on Thursday that he has already made enquiries about bringing Premier League players in on loan for next season: “That's one route that we're looking at. FFS jewell.....do you not get it loan players from the prem will not get us to the top end of this league let alone promoted.....Please look lower down the leagues or, maybe abroad for some younger hungrier players, bring them in on permanent deals and aim for a top ten finish next term with a view to promotion 2-3 yrs down the line. More players via the academy, let us know this is the plan, as opposed to not having one, you will be surprised how much the fans would get behind you..! Otherwise jewell sod off…!

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