David Sheepshanks has spoken about the Richard Wright transfer on local radio and revealed that Town had little choice but to accept the clause which has seen Arsenal allowed to talk to the Town keeper.

Sheepshanks said that when Wright was negotiating his new contracts both this summer and last Wright made his position very evident: "He made it perfectly clear he wouldn't sign at all if there wasn't an agreement that if Arsenal or one of the giant clubs came in for him he could talk to them."

Like the most of the rest of us Sheepshanks is sad to see him go: "He's a favourite son of Ipswich Town and a great keeper and we wanted him to stay at Portman Road. But he's an ambitious man and he appears to have always had this dream that he would play for one of the biggest clubs in the world."

Sheepshanks seems confident that the deal would go through: "It is quite likely that the deal will go through. We've done everything to try and keep him here - we offered him a huge new contract just a few weeks ago. The deal will not be done until early July and there are formailities to go through, so it is possible that the deal won't go through, but it is my own personal view that it will."

Meanwhile the size of the fee seems to change wherever you happen to look. £5 million, £6 million and even £6.5 million plus Alex Manninger have been mentioned, however we have heard that the fee may even be as low as £4.5 million.

Presumably with Wright forcing their hands over the clause Town had little choice but to concede to the player's wishes with the clause set to come into effect at a level which is lower than his true value. When the clause was originally negotiated a year ago a fee in the region of £4 million plus, might have looked very good with a Bosman free transfer looking a very real event.

We have Town Topics up on both the Wright transfer and the new fixtures. Feel free to add your view there (links from Board) or on the Message Board itself: http://www.twtd.co.uk/messages