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Jewell Makes Offer for Second Striker Tuesday, 14th Jun 2011 06:00
Town boss Paul Jewell has confirmed that he has made an offer for a striker in addition to Michael Chopra, who signed from Cardiff for £1.5 million last week. The Blues manager is keen to add a different striking option to his squad.
Jewell believes he already has some decent frontmen but says he needs someone to complement them: “We’ve got some good strikers at the club — Connor Wickham, Jason Scotland, Tamás Priskin and Michael Chopra — but I still want another one to go and play alongside one of them.
“At the back end of last season we didn’t have quality competition for places. We had plenty of numbers but the quality was lacking a little bit.
“I have made an offer for a striker and there are two or three things that are going on and which, luckily, have been kept quiet.”
It's understood that a player was at Portman Road for talks yesterday with reports last night linking Blackburn’s Jason Roberts, although the Grenada international subsequently tweeted that he is still in the Caribbean and hasn’t spoken to Town.
Elsewhere, reports in Ireland have linked the Blues with Reading frontman Noel Hunt with Portsmouth and West Ham also understood to be showing interest, although the 27-year-old may have been seen as an alternative addition prior to Chopra’s signing last week.
Sheffield United’s Ched Evans also continues to be linked, while another of Jewell’s Wigan strikers, Nathan Ellington, is also frequently a rumoured potential target and was claimed to have been the player at Portman Road on the TWTD Message Board yesterday. The 29-year-old is a free agent having been released by Watford after ending last season on loan at Preston.
One striker who won’t be joining Town is Doncaster's Billy Sharp with Jewell no longer targeting the 25-year-old: “We made an offer for him that was rejected and they made it public, which is their prerogative.
“Negotiations were ongoing but once we knew Michael Chopra was available we quickly changed our target. I think Michael’s as good as you will get in the Championship.”
Sharp was part of a £2.6 million joint-offer along with midfielder James Coppinger, who Jewell confirms he is still looking to land: “We are still pursuing one of those players. We’re after a number of players, everybody knows that and these things take time.
“It’s been a most frustrating summer. I don’t feel as if I’ve had a holiday because I’ve never been off the phone, I’ve been travelling up and down the country meeting players and meeting agents and it’s been very hard work and very frustrating.”
Chopra was Jewell’s first transfer success of the summer and is someone his new manager believes is a top player in this division: “He’s proven at Championship level and he’s one that every Championship manager or supporter would want to have in their team. We’re delighted to have him.
“When we heard he might be available we moved very quickly. It took a bit of time to dot the is and cross the ts but I am sure it will be worth all the hard work that went into it.”
The Liverpudlian feels Chopra will benefit from the fresh start at a new club: “We all know he’s had things off the pitch in the past.
“I spoke to him at length about that and he’s really focused and looking forward to just getting his head down and scoring goals for us and helping us to try to be successful.”
Since then released Reading defender Ivar Ingimarsson has agreed to sign a one-year deal and Jewell, who wants to add up to seven players to his squad this summer, is hoping to have made more additions before pre-season starts on June 29th and then further signings by the time the new season gets going: “Hopefully come August 6th, all the hard work we’re doing behind the scenes now will come to fruition and we’ll have players in our team that are better equipped to try and mount a promotion challenge.”
Photo: Action Images
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No time for a holiday? I know paul is well paid, but I for one appreciate the hard work and extra hours to improve the team. I take this as a sign of passion and dedication.
bluepeter - imo paul is the best manager we have had in a long while. we have had some good managers down the years and some dodgy ones but i believe paul we go down as one of the best, along with the sir's.
I don't see why Leadbitter can't be our set piece specialist. Yes he never gets the ball past the first man, so lets make sure we have a player in front of theirs then it will hit a Town player. Simples!
He still needs to sign another right footed centre back, a right back, a creative midfielder, a holding midfielder, and another striker. I reckon PJ would like to offload Priskin or Scotland or both but that might prove difficult, as their wages are high, and their goalscoring ratio is poor.
Paul jewell is definately my kind of manager, knows what he's doing and know the right way to do it. If its anyone like chopra, we'll be firing goals next season!
You've got to admire Billy Sharp's arrogance we saw plenty of it a Portman Road last season, he would definitely ‘kick his granny to score'. Looks like he has an eye on the prem now telling Doncaster Star before his holiday: “I keep telling my dad that the goals are the same size whatever level you play!” Hopefully Paul is playing mind games with Doncaster, still love him and Cops to come but seems unlikely now.
It became obvious last year that we needed a midfielder to sit in front of the back four. PJ recognised this but has been very quiet on the subject. Any candidates or is Luke Hyam ready to start again as he did at the beginning of last season?
"Jewell is hoping for up to seven more additions before pre-season starts on June 29th and then further signings by the time the new season gets going"
So that means possibly nine new players in before the end of the month (including Chopra and Ingimarsson) and some more still after that! It's exciting but I hope it's not too much all at once...
bringonthetractor - my thoughts exactly. Jewell said when he took over he didn't want to make too many changes as that was why he felt he failed at Derby. I don't think there's one player at the moment who played the majority of games last season you would say will defintely be in the team next year.
Arbeit macht frei Mr Jewell. And after all you've only been at it a couple of months. So, well done, young man, keep at it, work on your weight/height ratio (hint: you can't do much about the height)
I'm sure you're going to make a lot of people very happy next season
How about, we let Scotland AND Priskin go? Then bring in this new mystery striker so we have him, Chopra, Wickham and Murray and can then spend the money on a left back, right back and left wing (right back freeing up Edwards to play right wing)? Then - let Birmingham buy Leadbitter and use the money to get Bullard in or play Hyam and Carson together? ok maybe a bit young/weak - but you get my point - no point having lots of strikers if we can't get the ball to them or stop the ball going in at the other end!
Just a thought and i know we would be probably pushed out by his wage demands but, John Carew is currently a free agent, no-ones tried to sign him, hes tall, strong, proven and could be ideal alongside chops!?
hopefully we will get rid of scotland and priskin they been here long enough to make an impact and done phuk all! cant even manage 15 goals a piece that is pisss poor
the problem why scotland didnt score much last season is because he was playing tooif you buy deep and many times up front on his own.this is not scotlands game.the guy is lethal in the box.swanseas way of playing complemented his way of playing.i remember sitting watching all these long high balls being played to him and thinking why isnt wickham in there doing that job.he may be a strong bloke but hes not the tallest.i believe after watching some of his goals for swansea that he likes to feed off the taller guy and get in and around the box.i hope we not going to have another season of square pegs in round holes!if we are to sign these guys lets play them where they are effective.
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