Jonathan Barnett has backed up George Burley's claim last week that there were only a few "loose ends" to be tied up before Richard Wright signs a new deal with Town. The player's agent has confirmed that a deal is almost certain to be signed before the keeper goes into hospital for a hernia operation.

Barnett, enemy of the people of Suffolk during last summer's negotiations, said: "We are almost there and I confidently expect that Richard will have signed before he has his operation. It is all agreed in principle and it’s just a question of a little bit of the wording on the new agreement. We are near enough there. There are just a few small things to finalise. The negotiations have been fine and, despite what some people may think, I now enjoy a good relationship with David Sheepshanks."

Sheepshanks said some fairly choice things about Barnett last summer as negotiations appeared to go badly between the agent and the club. This year seems to have gone muc more smoothly and Town fans can expect a quiet summer on the contract front with practically everyone already signed up, Jermaine Wright signing until 2004 last week.

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