Reports this morning suggest that Charlton are favourites in the race to sign Bolton midfielder Claus Jensen. Although claims that he had a medical at the Valley yesterday evening are being refuted it seems that the "fantastic offer" Bolton sources talked as having been made by Alan Curbishley's club are enough to take the Dane to London. However, all may not be done and dusted as Jensen is not finalising anything until his Copenhagen-based student girlfriend has been over and had a look round. So in our opinion the whole thing is up in the air, he could go to either club. Ultimately it all may depend on whether she is studying Urban Brutalism or Lovely Rural Countrysides at college.
Jonathan Barnett has once again said that the row between him and David Sheepshanks is not about about money: "Neither Richard nor I have ever asked for a penny more that they have offered." He also suggested that there it is more than just the Wright situation which has set David Sheepshanks so firmly against him. The dispute over a £65,000 loyalty bonus between Town and Kieron Dyer, another Barnett client, last season was claimed to be linked to this summer's dispute with Barnett. David Sheepshanks, extremely unhappy at the way Barnett has behaved over the last few weeks unsurprisingly refuted this suggestion: "Mr Barnett has chosen to re-surface an issue that is now history, in the case of Kieron Dyer." Barnett, Public Enemy No 1 in Ipswich at the moment, added how little fans opinions mattered to him: "I don't really care". I'm sure his statements increase his already burgeoning unpopularity. Similarly Town fans are becoming increasingly frustrated at Richard Wright's se!
eming inability to do anything without his agent's say-so.
Many fans will be glad to hear that the Neil Ruddock story of a couple of days ago seems to be all lies. When it was first reported on NewsNet there were a flood of emails expressing a great deal of distress at any impending move for the £750,000 centre-half.