Town boss Paul Jewell says he could add to his squad before this afternoon’s 5pm loan deadline. The Blues manager, who dismissed newspaper links with the likes of QPR’s Rob Hulse and Cardiff’s Darcy Blake, hopes to see striker Ronan Murray join Swindon and Shane O’Connor move on to Northampton, while the likes of Luke Hyam and Tommy Smith could also make temporary switches.
Jewell said: "We’ve tried to get a couple of players in, but I think all the clubs are chasing the same players in the Championship and it’s difficult trying to get players from Premier League teams.
"We haven’t been successful yet but there’s seven or eight hours left. If we don’t get any arrivals in I’m more than confident that the squad that we’ve got can climb up the table.”
Jewell says QPR striker Rob Hulse’s agent rang him yesterday but he told him he wasn’t interest in signing his former Derby striker.
Reported Town target Gary Gardner has joined Coventry from Aston Villa, although Jewell admits he’s a player he admires, while the Blues boss says he’s not made approaches for QPR defender Danny Shittu or Cardiff’s Darcy Blake, despite centre-half being the area where he feels he most needs cover.
In terms of further players joining Tamás Priskin in moving on, Jewell says striker Ronan Murray is expected to sign for League Two Swindon on loan before the deadline: "We think that Ronan Murray will be going to Swindon, which would be a great move for him.
"I hope that the deal goes through for Ronan's sake, because he's a terrific lad and he needs to go to a level where he's going to play games and score a few goals, which I'm sure he will.
"The likes of Ronan, Luke Hyam and Tommy Smith do need to go out and play and I'm prepared to let the young lads go out on loan so that they can play regular matches."
League Two Northampton have enquired about out of favour left-sided midfielder or full-back Shane O’Connor and that deal could go through, while Jaime Peters is set to have his loan at Bournemouth extended for a third month.
Meanwhile, Keith Andrews is back in training having undergone nose surgery last Thursday and is in contention to start against Reading at Portman Road on Saturday.
Central defender Ibrahima Sonko is less likely to face his old club, although he’s back in training after his torn hamstring.
The Blues are unlikely to risk playing the Senegalese international with games coming thick and fast in the weeks to come.