Blues boss Paul Jewell says Crawley’s offer for midfielder Andy Drury was half what the clubs agreed before the 28-year-old joined the League Two leaders on loan in September. The former Luton man enjoyed a very successful spell at the Broadfield Stadium in which he was never on the losing side in any competition.
Red Devils boss Steve Evans said last week that his club had had a "significant” bid rebuffed, an opinion not shared by his Town counterpart: "We agreed a fee before he went on loan if he did well for them and they wanted him.
"I don’t think he did that well for them as he played in 13 [league] games and they won 10 and drew three and the bid was half of what we agreed, so I wouldn’t even have said it was a bid really.”
Evans says his club are not looking to get Drury back on another loan in January and appears to suggest that no new bid is imminently in the offing: "I was given a figure I was cleared to offer by the board. We made the offer in writing and Ipswich were very professional but rejected it.
"Andy Drury played a part for us. People can say what they want, but there are far more important players at this football club."
In any case Drury is likely to find himself back in Jewell’s plans at Town over the next few weeks with Colin Healy recently moving on and Keith Andrews out with his hamstring tear and with his loan set to end next week.
The Blues boss admits that last January’s £150,000 signing from Luton hasn’t really been given a chance to show what he can do since that switch having made only five starts and eight substitute appearances.
Jewell says his matches in League Two — plus two in the FA Cup - will have benefited him: "He’s come back and has played something like 13 games while at Crawley, which will have done him the world of good fitness-wise, and confidence-wise he’s got used to playing football again.
"He probably hasn’t really had the chance of a long run in the team, to be fair to Andy and he comes into consideration.”