Burnley pair Lukas Jutkiewicz and Michael Kightly are on Mick McCarthy’s list of potential signings ahead of the transfer window's closure on Wednesday, TWTD understands.
McCarthy is looking to add a direct replacement for Daryl Murphy, who completed his move to Newcastle earlier today, while the Blues boss is also keen on signing another wideman.
The duo, who each have a year left on their contracts, are currently out of the regular first XI at Turf Moor but their availability will depend on Burnley adding to their squad before the window closes at 11pm on Wednesday.
Kightly, 30, was with Tottenham as a youngster and moved on to hometown club Basildon United and then Southend before making his mark in non-league with Grays Athletic, with whom he won the FA Trophy.
In 2006 Town boss Mick McCarthy took him to Wolves, where he was a key player in their 2008/09 Championship title-winning season.
Former England U21 international Kightly moved on to Stoke City in August 2012, then joined Burnley on loan in September 2013 and helped them to second spot in the Championship and into the Premier League. He made the move permanent the following summer and was a member of the squad which, following their relegation in the previous campaign, topped the Championship last season to return to the top flight. This season Kightly’s only appearance was in the 1-0 EFL Cup loss to Accrington Stanley last Wednesday. Southampton-born striker Jutkiewicz, 27, was a youth player with his hometown club before moving on to Swindon where he made his first senior appearances late in the 2005/06 season. His performances for the Robins caught the eye of Everton, who signed him for £1 million in March 2007. While at Goodison Park Jutkiewicz made one senior sub appearance and spent time on loan at Plymouth, Huddersfield and Motherwell before joining Coventry City on a permanent basis in July 2010. After 18 months at the Ricoh Arena - where he scored 18 goals in 61 starts and eight sub appearances - the 6ft 1in tall frontman moved to Middlesbrough, initially on loan before the clubs agreed a £1.3 million fee. During his time on Teesside Jutkiewicz scored 15 goals in 52 starts and 19 sub appearances. Having spent the end of 2013/14 on loan at Bolton, where he scored seven times in 16 starts and four games from the bench, Jutkiewicz joined Burnley in July 2014 for £1.5 million. Having failed to find the net during 10 starts and 16 sub appearances in the Clarets’ 2014/15 Premier League season, Jutkiewicz’s 2015/16 was curtailed at the end of August when he suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury. He returned to U21s action at the end of the season and this term has made two brief sub appearances in the Premier League in addition to a start in the EFL Cup game against Accrington.
Kightly
What to read next:
Town-supporting boxer Fabio Wardley has been crowned the WBO world heavyweight champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt.
A new podcast from the Blue Monday team is now available.
TWTD’s Phil Ham and Kallum Brisset joined the Tractor Noise podcast to assess Town’s position as it stands at the season’s third international break and their expectations for the rest of the campaign.
Ipswich Town Fans Supporting Foodbanks is encouraging the Blue Army to continue their vital community support at Saturday’s game against Wrexham with a festive call for advent calendar donations to brighten December for the most vulnerable in the local community.
Ipswich Town Women conceded two second-half goals to lose 2-1 at home to Crystal Palace having been 1-0 up at half-time, and find themselves further adrift at the foot of the WSL2 table as they fast approach the midway point of the season.
Blues skipper Dara O’Shea admitted he’d never experienced anything like the Republic of Ireland’s astonishing 3-2 last-gasp victory over Hungary in Budapest this afternoon to claim a place in the World Cup qualification play-offs.
A new podcast from the Blue Monday team is now available.
Dara O’Shea, Jack Taylor and Chieo Ogbene all won caps as the Republic of Ireland sensationally scored in the sixth minute of injury time having come from behind twice to beat Hungary 3-2 in Budapest in their final World Cup qualifier to secure a place in the play-offs, former Blues loanee Troy Parrott scoring a remarkable hat-trick.
Blues trio Dara O’Shea, Jack Taylor and Chieo Ogbene all look set to start the Republic of Ireland’s all or nothing final World Cup qualifier against Hungary in Budapest this afternoon (KO 2pm, Amazon Prime).
George Hirst won his sixth full international cap as a late sub as Scotland were beaten 3-2 by Greece in their penultimate World Cup group game in Piraeus, but their hopes of automatic qualification remain alive.