Blues boss Paul Jewell says there’ll be no news regarding the future of Grant Leadbitter or any of the other out of contract players until after today’s meeting with club owner Marcus Evans. Over the weekend Jewell said he wanted Leadbitter to make a decision on whether he wants to remain at Portman Road early this week.
Jewell said: "I’m meeting Marcus [today], I probably won’t want to talk about it after the game but certainly on Thursday when I do my press I’m hoping to have some news then.”
He says that if the midfielder, signed from Sunderland for £2.65 million in the summer of 2009, opts to move away — Middlesbrough are understood to have offered a contract with Brighton also linked — then he’ll probably leave him out of his side for the season’s remaining games: "Quite possibly, but I had a chat with him on Friday, a good football chat, and I’m very hopeful that he’ll decide to stay.
"But if he doesn’t that’s his prerogative and we move on. But we would really like him to stay,” he added.
The Blues manager has been impressed with the 26-year-old’s recent displays: "He’s done really well. He looks like he’s enjoying his football and we want that to be the case at the start of next season.”
Jewell says his meeting with Evans will deal with other issues in addition to the out of contract players: "I’m seeing Marcus to discuss a lot of things across the board. We can nail down the contracts that are up, make offers to those that we’re going to make offers to and get it done quickly. And those that we’re not going to make offers to we’ll let know because I think they need to know.
"Marcus has been away for the last three weeks but we do have regular meetings. This one is to discuss the issues which need to be addressed; contracts and transfer targets for the summer.”
The Town boss says he’s already begun work on making summer additions to the squad: "We’ve already started on trying to get players in for next season.”
Jason Scotland, who has been offered a further year at Portman Road, is another one whose situation is likely to be addressed at today’s meeting: "I know he spoke with Marcus and he’s going to speak with him again [today]. We’ve got a few issues to sort out.
"We like Jason because he’ll definitely have a part to play whether that’s coming off the bench or playing for an hour.
"We know he’s not going to play 90 minutes on the Saturday, 90 minutes on the Tuesday and 90 minutes on the following Saturday, but he can have an impact and he’s been good for us.”
Jewell recently spoke to on-loan Celtic man Daryl Murphy’s representative and the Blues’ interest in signing the Irishman on a permanent basis in the summer is also like to come into his discussions with Evans.
The Blues boss doesn’t expect to be handed a large transfer war chest for the summer: "I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of money to spend but I think football is like that, the economic climate out there affects football as well, and quite rightly.
"We’re going to have the Financial Fair Play rules where we can’t overspend and when a team in our league, Portsmouth, are getting relegated basically because they spent money they didn’t have and Glasgow Rangers almost go out of business, we’ve got to be wary of that.
"The most important thing for the supporters of this club is that the club’s here in good hands in the years to come, not having money just thrown at it.
"It’s not as if Marcus Evans hasn’t spent money, he’s spent money since he’s been here, but money is getting tighter.”
Photo: Action Images