Town boss Paul Jewell has confirmed that former Middlesbrough, Hull, Coventry and Aston Villa midfielder George Boateng was training with the Blues last week, as first revealed by TWTD. He says he has spoken to the 35-year-old’s agent about a possible deal but has another defensive midfield target with whom he has also held talks.
Jewell, who is keen to add a holding midfielder to his squad, said: "George wasn’t on trial with us, he was just training with us for a couple of days. I think he’s going to speak to Notts Forest, which just shows that we’re all looking at the same type of players.
"I don’t know [whether anything will happen with him]. I spoke to his agent on Monday and we are speaking to another midfield player as well. We want to have as many options as possible.”
One of this morning’s tabloids claims Town, Burnley and Derby have all targeted Nottingham Forest’s defensive midfielder Guy Moussi but that the Frenchman has decided to sign a new three-year deal at the City Ground.
Moussi, 26, could well have been the other player that Jewell was referring to, while Forest’s interest in Boateng could cool if Moussi has indeed committed his future to the club.
The Blues boss says there is nothing new on the Jason Scotland situation with Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers ruling out a move for the Trinidadian yesterday.
Jewell in any case confirmed reports yesterday indicating that Scotland had impressed him in recent weeks: "Jason Scotland has been working exceptionally hard in pre-season and has done well, both in training and in the games. We’re not looking to sell, we’re looking to bring in.”
Overall, the Town boss, who met with owner and chairman Marcus Evans at yesterday’s match, was happy with the week’s training camp in Mierlo around eight miles outside Eindhoven: "It’s a terrific place, I’ve been here four times now. The facilities are good, it’s in the middle of nowhere and the training facilities are part of the hotel.
"We’ve won two games and we’ve got a lot of fitness out of it, and that’s what pre-season basically is. The first game of the season will tell you how your pre-season has gone.”