Town boss Roy Keane has dismissed claims that the loans of Tottenham pair Andros Townsend and Jake Livermore are related to a wider deal which will eventually see star striker Connor Wickham join Harry Redknapp’s club. The Blues are understood to have rebuffed offers of up to £8 million from Spurs for the highly-rated 17-year-old during the summer.

Since Livermore joined Townsend at Portman Road last week, various reports have claimed their moves will eventually see Wickham on his way to White Hart Lane in a future transfer window, something Keane was quick to rubbish: “It’s nonsense, absolute nonsense.

“If you think that’s part of the deal for us getting young boys in, you don’t know me that well. We don’t need to work that way, we don’t have to work that way.”

Midfielder Livermore could make his Town debut at Reading this evening, having been on the bench at Scunthorpe on Saturday.

Keane says he has been impressed with the 20-year-old in training: “Jake’s a good lad and he’s clearly a very good player. But, as with any player I sign, he knows he's got to work hard to get in the team.

“He’s only been here a few days but we’re delighted with him. He’s got a good attitude, has a nice way about him and can deal with the ball, as you’d expect with any kid coming in from Tottenham.”

Photo: Action Images

Back_The_Boss added 09:06 - Sep 28 Clever tactics by Tottenham, I see what they have in mind.
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im_marcacus added 09:12 - Sep 28 Connor = Livermore + Townsend + Naughton + a little extra £££ to keep Marcus sweet?
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bedsitfc added 09:24 - Sep 28 if townsend and livermore do well for us i can see harry throwing them 2 in a deal with £4 million for wickham, could we afford to turn that down?????
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hyamighty added 09:28 - Sep 28 So are the first 3 comments Spurs fans or morons? Which bit of the article did you not understand?
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backinbeige added 09:34 - Sep 28 Lets be realistic, Wickham's probably going to go in the next few seasons unless we go up. If there are clubs chasing him as claimed why not use it to our advantage and get a few favours from them? I'm not saying any deal is lined up - I have no idea about that - but if there are clubs looking to get in our good books then we should maximise that and get a few favours from them

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yorksblue added 09:37 - Sep 28 Thro in Robbie Keane too, and I'll give it some thought.
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bedsitfc added 09:38 - Sep 28 i dont think a deal is anywhere near in place, but if and its a big if harry wanted to do a deal it could well involve them 2.
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bedsitfc added 09:41 - Sep 28 hyamighty - before you go calling people morons look at what has been said lots of if's and but's.... you muppet.
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bleedblue added 09:43 - Sep 28 Keane is never going to admit to this, even if it was true. Bottom line is; he is currently a Town player, and thats that. This is the problem with Football, so much speculation, lets just get back to basics and concentrate on whats important - THE FOOTBALL!!
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joshuanelli added 09:48 - Sep 28 I agree with bedsitfc! Although it does seem a little fishy, we AREN'T a selling club any more! But at the same time, if an offer of £10million came in for him, which by the sounds of things is what Evans wants then can we honestly turn it down? Also... Has anyone thought of the possibility that if Connor has a bad season (as he hasn't set the world alight just yet [granted he's nowhere near fully fit] ), that his price may actually DECREASE??? Don't get me wrong - i think Connor genuinely is a raw talent ... but are we not forgetting Dean Bowditch? The papers and coaches claimed he had the world at his feet and that we once turned down a £5million pound offer from Liverpool for him?

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joshuanelli added 09:51 - Sep 28 Just for the record before all the Connor supporters get their teeth in to me... i DON'T think Connor will end up playing for Yeovil in league 2 ... !!! And i DO think he will be a England regular in the future :)
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Dolly2.0 added 10:01 - Sep 28 bedsitfc where are these ifs and buts? Keane seems pretty adamant to me. Why are people so ready to believe any bit of gossip they read in the papers but not the words directly from the managers mouth? I seriously think if some bored journalist reported that Marcus Evans was actually an alien from the planet Zog, some of you morons would believe it.
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whymark4lazio0 added 10:17 - Sep 28 If Connor is going to be England centre-forward (and I believe he will) then the best course for Town is to keep him until we get promoted and has at least one successful season keeping us there. This would help us to get promoted and stay there (worth at least ten times the £10m now being mentioned as potential transfer fee) and enable us to sell him at the optimum moment for perhaps £30m. Fortunately this is the best course of action for Connor as well; he needs to be carefully developed with regular competitive games and not become a bit player in a Premiership squad.

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wellhungphil added 10:32 - Sep 28 Dear all, The price for this player's signature is 40 million quid. Please do not turn up at our door with anything less, as this will only cause embarrassment to all parties concerned. with thanks La Verité.
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JohnTy added 10:35 - Sep 28 Don't think it would be possible for Ipswich and Spurs to do the deal that has been rumoured - there would be nothing to stop another club coming in and making an acceptable offer - and in such a situation the player and his agent would have the final say as to where he went. "nonsense, absolute nonsense" sounds about right.
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im_marcacus added 10:48 - Sep 28 A 'what would be a reasonable swap' comment is not a 'keane's a lying sh!tbag and gunna do a deal' comment, take a chill pill super fans, Save your energies for tonight.
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Karlosfandangal added 11:11 - Sep 28 Surely Tottenham would have put this deal forward at the beginning of the season if they really wanted him that bad. If they are prepared to pay 8 million for a lad who had played a few games then they would have gone with that and maybe said plus these two lads and Wickham back on loan or all three on loan. Wickham is not in the class of Defoe or Keane, so he would be one for the future same as Livermore and Townsend, these lads will return to Tottenham better players as did Colbeck. Clubs know Ipswich have a good youth policey and word goes round, Keane is highly thought off in the football world, so it makes sence to send the lads here. He is a raw talent and yes looks good, yet he has not done anything yet, he was sub after only 30 mins on Saturday yet to score, lets wait till the lad has got 20-25 in a Championship season before everyone expects him to lead England to the next World Cup. Time to take the pressure off a very young lad learning his trade The other point is if we had done a deal with Tottenham Walters would not have been sold or we would have a Chopra type player as a replacement. One more point Scotland is out scoring Wickham so far

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Gilesy added 11:39 - Sep 28 I think the first three responders might arguably be the most intelligent people in the country. However, it's an argument nobody's likely to win.
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Tractorog added 12:04 - Sep 28 But it is in the newspapers... it must be true.
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shropshiretractor added 14:24 - Sep 28 backinbeige: "Lets be realistic, Wickham's probably going to go in the next few seasons unless we go up." -I think Wickham will go regardless of whether we go up or not backinbeige! Although if we go up his value will increase hugely! I would accept a swap deal for Modric, Dawson and Defoe. Nothing less (maybe more though!!)
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itfc4eva added 15:31 - Sep 28 best news i have heard all day
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NathItfc added 15:38 - Sep 28 'Keane Dismisses Wickham Tottenham Move Claims' Looks like he's moving to The Arsenal then.
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cooper4england added 17:08 - Sep 28 Marcus Evans is an alien!!! Well that explains everything. Where is zog?
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corshamblue added 17:11 - Sep 28 Wake up, Doesn't Connor have 18 months left on his contract. He'll be worth much less if he doesn't score plenty this season and I've not seen the Tally going up yet - and it won't if he can't stay on the pitch more than 20mins. Having said that I'm a big fan, a very big fan - Connor is very special and I'm sure he'll provide the goods. He's different class to Bowditch who rode on Tractor Boy Mania and fell when the press got bored with us when results took a nose dive . . . He'll not go for less than his worth I'm sure. I just wish we could give him a 4yr contract - he says he want to play for Town - a new contract would underpin that desire for me. I think a few of us need to remove the rose tinted Wickham Wonderland glasses all the same. . . . Modric, Dawson & Defoe - I'll have a pint of what shroppy tractor's drinking ..

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Geoitfc01 added 01:44 - Sep 29 If spurs were looking to sweeten us up for Connor to sign, then surely the first player to have joined us on loan would have been Gio, I think our financial position is allowing us to keep hold of him, but it's inevitable that he'll be off in the near future as money talks in this game, he'll end up going to a lower table prem team, just like Darren Bent. And Ipswich being Ipswich won't renew his contract as usual, remember what Holland was worth but then sold for back in the day!

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