Town boss Paul Jewell says new striker Nathan Ellington has something to prove to himself as well as other people after losing his direction in recent seasons. The man known as the Duke was one of the stars of the Blues manager’s Wigan side, netting 24 goals as the Latics pipped Town to Premier League promotion in 2004/05.
Jewell said: "Nathan is only 29 and I think he’s lost his way a bit over the last two or three seasons. I sold him for £3.5 million to West Brom when they were in the Premier League, then he went to Watford for £4 million and since then it hasn’t really happened.
"The Duke is very unpredictable. He can drive you to distraction one minute and he can stick one in the top corner the next.
"He’s powerful, he’s quick, he’s good in the air and I also think he’s got an awful lot to prove to himself and to other people because in the last couple of seasons he hasn’t done himself justice. I think he’s a fine addition on a free transfer.”
The Town manager also brought Michael Chopra in from Cardiff for £1.5 million, someone he says is used to playing in a team competing at the top of the Championship: "Michael Chopra’s obviously a proven goalscorer at this level.
"He’s quick, he gets across the front of players and he knows what it’s about. He’s played in a Cardiff side at the top end of this league for the last couple of years, so he’s used to winning.
"He scores goals, he’s an all-round good player. He’ll give us that little bit of pace we lacked at times last season in order to get in behind teams. He’ll give us that option and his goalscoring record stands up to scrutiny.”
Jewell still plans to add another striker this summer — with Jason Scotland and Tamás Priskin perhaps set to move on — and says he would have done so even if Connor Wickham hadn’t left for Sunderland: "Just because Connor’s left, it doesn’t mean we’ll have to buy another striker — we were going to get one anyway.”
The Blues boss may now be looking to add height to his attacking options with his former Derby frontman Rob Hulse out of favour at QPR and Sheffield United's Ched Evans linked on a number of occasions, along with Ellington's Wigan strike partner Jason Roberts, although the Blackburn striker recently dismissed claims he was on the way to the Blues.