Blues boss Paul Jewell admits that he finds the close season frustrating at times but is determined to remain patient as he looks to add another four signings to his squad ahead of the start of the 2012/13 campaign. The Town manager, who was back at Playford Road for the start of pre-season training yesterday, expects his summer recruitment to stretch into August with Premier League clubs not willing to allow players to move on until nearer the end of the transfer window.
Jewell, who is confident the Blues will complete the signing of free agent former Nottingham Forest skipper Luke Chambers early next week, says he has spent the summer looking at players and talking to other clubs: "I’ve been watching a few games. I went over to Norway to watch a couple of games over there.
"It’s always the same in the close season, it can be quite frustrating really. I’ve spoken to lots of players, lots of clubs and everyone’s keeping their cards close to their chests at this time.
"What I’ve tried to learn over the years, and probably didn’t last year, is to try to be patient and make sure we don’t rush into anything because people expect us to sign players.
"There’s not an awful lot of money around in football at the moment, certainly not at our end, so we’ve got to be patient and make sure we get the targets that we want rather than get players.
"Maybe if you wait that extra week, that extra two weeks the right players might become available, rather than just taking a player for the sake of it.”
The trips to Norway were probably to watch Lillestrøm striker Björn Bergmann Sigurdarson, who subsequently agreed to join Wolves.
Jewell is in the main looking for permanent signings, but has also indicated that he could bring in one or two loan players, and ideally would like them here as soon as possible.
However, he says top flight clubs are in no rush to let their fringe players move on, meaning that that’s unlikely to happen: "I think if I had them in today, I’d be delighted. But I know that that’s almost impossible.
"I’ve spoken to numerous Premier League managers and what they told me and will have told other managers in our league is, ‘I’m going to see how it goes in pre-season. I’m going to take him our pre-season tour and then we’ll decide what we’re going to do with him’.
"There are a few players that are like that. There are one or two other players where we’re in talks with the clubs, and that’s all I can tell you.”
The Blues boss says he’s prepared to take his time in order to get the players he wants, but if he doesn’t land them, he has identified alternative targets: "I’m not a very patient person, if I’m being honest. But I’ve tried this close season more than ever. I’m getting messages every day from agents about this player or that player who is available.
"The players that I want, I’m prepared to wait to get them. But if I don’t get them, I have got a Plan B. I think if we get the players we want, I’ll be a happy man.”