Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are all chasing Town striker Connor Wickham, according to a national newspaper, who refer to the Blues frontman as “the new Wayne Rooney”. A host of Premier League scouts have regularly been keeping an eye on 16-year-old Wickham since he was a schoolboy, as TWTD was first to report back in February.

Town are said to fear Wickham agreeing to join one of the big four or another Premier League side — Aston Villa having been linked earlier in the week — in January before he is able to sign a professional contract on his 17th birthday on March 31st next year.

If any of the watching clubs do firm up their interest, Town would be in a position similar to the one in which Crystal Palace found themselves with John Bostock in 2008 when the Eagles academy schoolboy joined Tottenham, much to chairman Simon Jordan's annoyance.

The two clubs were unable to come to an agreement regarding a deal and a Professional Football Compensation Committee (PFCC) tribunal, run by the PFA, set a fee of £700,000 for Bostock, plus add-ons rising in steps up to £1.25 million after he makes five, 10, 20, 30 and 40 appearances, another £200,000 on his full international debut and a 15% sell-on.

Photo: Action Images

kirbs added 14:24 - Nov 15 why is everyone so gutted? he may be a rising star as all these clubs are interested but when he has played for us this season hes done nuthing! maybe got potential but certinaly not as good as priskin or stead.
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biggerblue added 15:35 - Nov 15 Kirbs Do you go to the matches?? If so take your blinkers OFF !!!!
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jamie22 added 15:37 - Nov 15 With WickedBlue here! I have faith in Connor to stay on with us to improve his game and it will, because if he hasn't made a mark yet at Championship level he will be stuck in the reserves at the most for these clubs when he could be making a name for himself in first team football this season. If he does decide to move then I only hope it's Arsenal because in my opinion out of those 4, they will be the team that will bring the best out of him. I say all this but we still need to remember that it's bloody tabloids.. how many players have we been linked with!?

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itfc_steve added 15:56 - Nov 15 really dont know what all the fuss is about. he is completely over rated. no way will he be anything like 'the new wayne rooney'. he certainly looks like he has potential and dont get me wrong, it would b good if he could show that here for a couple more seasons but i dont think it would be the end of the world if he leaves in january. good luck to him if he goes.
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UEFA81 added 16:09 - Nov 15 Should I stay or should I go now? Should I stay or should I go now? If I go there will be trouble An' if I stay it will be double So come on and let me know! LOL
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h32 added 17:07 - Nov 15 As anyone who reads these posts will know, I was totally against the sale of Jordan Rhodes, and posted my opinions accordingly. The current interest in Connor was always going to happen, and any common sense thinking person would have foreseen this at the time, therefore to sell Jordan was totally unbelievable. We commenced this season with a sound squad, but admittedly needed a couple of additions, and two of the best young strikers in the game - looks like we may end the season with neither now. As for the squad - well - maybe I no longer understand the definition of progress - or is it others that don't ??

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itfc1981 added 17:19 - Nov 15 we are fecked
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Dubzy_69 added 18:51 - Nov 15 Dont go anywhere connor you will be getting picked ahead of priskin soon!!
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ChambersM added 19:31 - Nov 15 dissblue you're and idiot, pablo's our best striker atm and priskin is looking the best he had been so far.
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hollywoodginge added 19:31 - Nov 15 top scouts looking at youngsters with talent ( yes there is a joke there but not intended) is no new thing, its their jobs, it means nothing, this is media hype and nothing more, should not be taken seriously, i no for a fact that liverpool, man utd and villa hd scouts at PR for bowditch regularly. nothing in it, end of chat.
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jas0999 added 19:50 - Nov 15 Cue the Roy haters saying this is his fault! Of course I would like Wickham to stay, but hey, how can we stand in his way? Just hope we will receive a hefty compensation!
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jas0999 added 19:55 - Nov 15 p.s. after reading the other posts, it is cleare many so called idiots have no clue about football!! When will fools like DissBlue realise this decison is out of ITFC's and indeed Roy's hands?! Let's clarify for the idiots: WICKHAM CAN SIGN FOR ANY TEAM HE LIKES. END OF.
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GarvanIsGod added 20:29 - Nov 15 Over rated.
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PunchNoHopers added 20:43 - Nov 15 Nearly stopped my blue foundation payments when Rhodes was sold, as I was that dishearted. If Wickham goes will stop paying altogether, as no point of paying good money to help support the club bring on the youngsters, if we don't ever get to see them playing for the Blues!
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hollywoodginge added 22:14 - Nov 15 punchnohopers, he wont be 'sold' read the article, he will have the freedom of choice to leave and there is nothing we can do about it but prey for a good compensation package, do NOT blame the club or this, and more to the point read my previous post, paper talk! they are spinning the whole 'Next wayne rooney' headline to make readers cast an eye, would sound alot less appealing if the headline read, 'youngster at ipswich has scouts checking on him'

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TractorRoyNo1 added 23:33 - Nov 15 Beware of Goddard and Barnnett.
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FormerlyCGS added 00:22 - Nov 16 If we had a decent manager and where at least half way (like we should be) he would sign a 2/3 year contractg with us. With Roy 'career wrecker' Keane in charge fightin for survival he will leave for one of the prem teams. Done
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Markie31 added 00:29 - Nov 16 Conor would be best off staying with us for now. No point going to one of these big clubs just to sit on there bench every game. Urging him to stay and not be sucked in by the big money.
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jayessess added 06:31 - Nov 16 can´t blame the management for this one. Though you´ve got to say if we were in a decent league position and the club didn´t look like a total basket case, then it would be a hell of a lot less tempting for Connor to move at this point of his career. Whilst we´re at it, if he does go, it would´ve been a damn sight less frustrating if we still had Jordon Rhodes at the club.

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Lightningboy added 09:27 - Nov 16 Correct me if i'm wrong but aren't we trying to move forward as a club?..I doubt if selling 16 year olds at the first opportunity is going to help us progress is it?...besides ,it's only speculation and we're not going to let him go anyway cos we got rid of Rhodes and we all know that there wasn't enough room in our amazing bottom of the table squad to have 2 promising youngsters now was there?

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finidiwoah added 09:54 - Nov 16 i know this is slightly different but walcott left southampton for 7mill to goto arsenal at the age of 16. Why dont town do the same if he is gonna leave.... bet we end up letting him got for a mill. Poor business by town again and everyone will be upset with it..... the writings on the wall
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devontractorboy added 10:01 - Nov 16 If you were 16 coming up 17 and a top premership club came in for you would you: a. Stay with a 'promising' bottom but one Championship side, who's manager is unpleasant and a bully? b. Join say Arsenal, a top European side with a manager who is an absolute gent and known for developing young players? Mmmmmmm tough one eh?
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Lightningboy added 10:04 - Nov 16 Hopefully Wickham will be here a hell of a lot longer than Keane devontractorboy..
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VILJOEN67 added 10:13 - Nov 16 He will probably gain more in development terms by having competitive first team football with Ipswich, rather than bench warm in the premiership. I read somewhere that his dad is a keen Ipswich fan this may have some bearing on whom he chooses to sign for. He looks so strong for such a young player and seem's to have all the attributes for a striker, once he gets his first league goal and gains a bit of composure i believe he will be a great player,certainly more Darren Bent than Dean Bowditch.Lets hope we can enjoy him for a little while longer.

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Berts_chin added 10:53 - Nov 16 What a roller coaster ride being a Town fan is. The highs that were the Ramsey, Robson, Lyall and the bulk of the Burley years, and (seemingly at the time) the acquisition of the club by Marcus Evans. The lows of the Duncan era and administration, and now. Seeing a haemorrhage of the club's young talent is all the more galling when we look at the players brought in by the present manager and the fees paid for them. Something must be done soon to arrest this trend or rather than the big dipper ascending again, the ride will be over.

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