All Town talk now seems completely centred on goalkeepers with George Burley denying any interest in yesterday's tabloid link Shaka Hislop. Meanwhile Burley has not ruled out another bid for Mart Poom contrary to earlier claims and is making no comment on Matteo Sereni.
Burley says of Poom: "Situations can change. I made an enquiry and an offer for Poom, but Jim Smith told me he was not for sale at the moment. You never know what is going to happen in football. It would not be the first time that a club changed their mind and if Jim came back and said the player was now for sale something might happen."
As for Sampdoria's Matteo Sereni the Town boss is saying nothing, refusing to even confirm that he was in Italy: "I'm not getting involved in speculation about where I went and who I
watched. Even if I was in Timbuktu I wouldn't say."
One thing is certain is that Shaka Hislop is not a target while the Town boss added that a loan player might be on his way in: "I certainly haven't made an offer for him, but I have a couple of options I am considering and I'll know more in the next couple of days. One is the possibility of signing a keeper on loan from a foreign club."
Could the "keeper on loan from a foreign club" turn out to be Sereni?
The Town boss is keen to bring in more players: "I want to strengthen the squad and I was away at the weekend watching games. I'm trying to pull everything together in time for the
Sunderland game. If I can do something, I will. There is still a chance and I haven't given
up hope. I am speaking to clubs and we will have to wait and see what transpires. It's up to Derby if the Poom deal is dead, but I have never said I will not be making another offer. In the meantime I am looking at all areas of the team. We are still very thin on the ground for players and the criteria, as always, is to get quality."