Boss Roy Keane says Ipswich Town is the best place for 16-year-old striker Connor Wickham to get his footballing education. Wickham has been the subject of speculation in recent weeks with Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa all said to keen on taking the striker from Town before he is able to sign a professional contract when he is 17 in March.
Keane said: "I think this is the best place for him to get his education. The success of the academy over the years would be our argument, whether it’s with Connor, his agent his dad or whatever.
"When you’re a Championship club at least the boy will get an opportunity to play first team games. Sometimes they go to these bigger clubs and it doesn’t quite happen because they get lost because there’s that many good players there.
"Connor’s already played some first team games, he trains with us on a regular basis and he goes away and plays with the youth team every now and again. It’s a good club for him and he’ll get a chance to progress.”
Keane says Town can do nothing about the current media focus on the England U17 international: "We can’t stop speculation and that’s all it is. We’ve seen it over the last few years, whether it’s the Chelseas, the Uniteds, the Liverpools, they’re more than capable of buying young players from other clubs. I understand that as well, that’s the way of the world, they’ll go and try and get the best players from other clubs. That never changes.”
The Blues boss says Wickham, who joined Town as a schoolboy from Reading’s academy after his serviceman father was posted to Colchester, is by no means the finished article: "He’s got potential, just as I think I’ve the potential to be a top manager, but that’s all it is. We have to go easy on the boy as he’s 16 years of age and learning his trade.
"He’s got a chance, but I’ve seen loads of players that you think will go right to the very top, but for one reason or another it doesn’t happen. We’ve got to be careful with Connor because he’s 16, it’s scary! We’ve got to go easy, but the boy’s got a chance.”
Meanwhile, Gianfranco Zola has dismissed claims that former Blue Kieron Dyer will be leaving West Ham for a return to Portman Road: "Dyer is back in training this week and doing very well. The problem with him is he finds it very difficult to keep the fitness, but I am hoping that changes now. He is a player that can give us something.”
At Friday’s press conference Roy Keane similarly dismissed Dyer returning to Town.