Former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is claimed to be Paul Jewell’s successor if all fails to go to plan at Town this season by one of this morning’s tabloids. Meanwhile, Wolves and Leeds are linked with Luke Hyam.
Redknapp is known to be friends with Blues owner Marcus Evans and rumours that he might be a potential future Town boss have been circulating locally since the two of them were shown playing golf together at the Sir Bobby Robson Classic in Portugal over the summer.
The ex-Spurs manager is understood to have been involved in the process of putting together the short-list of candidates for the Town job when Roy Keane was sacked, while Charlie Woods, who worked with Redknapp at White Hart Lane as well as with Robson at a number of clubs, is also amongst Evans’s confidantes.
Evans, however, is also understood to have a good relationship with current boss Jewell, whose terms are up at the end of the season, and has had a history of giving his managers time. Having given the Liverpudlian not insignificant money to spend in the last week for Peterborough striker Paul Taylor, unless the season goes very badly wrong, a change seems unlikely in the short-term.
Other newspapers link Redknapp with potential returns to Southampton and West Ham and also the QPR job this morning should their current incumbents fail to cut the mustard in the Premier League and it would seem far more likely that the 65-year-old would be after another position in the top flight.
Elsewhere, Town are claimed to be struggling to keep hold of midfielder Luke Hyam, who is said to be on £650-a-week, the lowest wage in the Blues first team squad. Speaking last week, Jewell said he will be offering the 20-year-old, whose current deal is up at the end of the season, a new contract, but Wolves and Leeds are said to be interested.
Hyam was given his current terms last season with manager Jewell keen to keep young players hungry and not give them too much too soon, but reward them with longer and more lucrative contracts as they progress.