Blues boss Paul Jewell has revealed that keeper Brian Murphy’s new terms with Town were worth less than the Irishman’s previous contract. The 28-year-old left the club last week having turned down the new deal and is believed to be interesting newly-promoted QPR.
Jewell said: "At the end of the day we offered Brian reduced terms and he has to do what he thinks is best for himself. I’ve seen him play a few reserve games and in training but I haven’t seen an awful lot of him. Football clubs always survive after players and managers have left.”
Murphy's offer is understood to have been around 10% lower than the deal he signed when he joined the club in January 2010 from Dublin side Bohemians.
The Town manager says that he’s not too disappointed to have his goalkeeping ranks reduced to Márton Fülöp and Arran Lee-Barrett, who has accepted a new two-year contract: "I’m quite happy with two goalkeepers. That’s one area where we might have had one too many.
"But we’re always looking for players in every position. I’m not unhappy with Márton but I’m looking to improve the squad all over the pitch.
"I’ve said to the players this morning, whether you’ve just signed a new contract or you’ve got two years left on your contract or your contract’s running down. If you want to be here, you’ve got show you want to be here.”
Despite the backing of his manager, Fülöp’s current deal comes to an end next summer and Jewell says the Hungarian’s situation and those of players in similar positions will be looked in the weeks to come, with the Town boss desperate not to repeat this year’s problems: "There’s no point in letting people’s contracts run out as they have this summer.
"If the players want to extend their contracts, great, if they don’t we’ve got to try and sell them and get other people in, it’s dead simple.”
Town are understood to be very much in the race to sign Coventry's out-of-contract keeper Keiren Westwood with Everton and Leicester also interested.