Town boss Paul Jewell has revealed that one of his January targets suffered an injury while playing in his current side’s Boxing Day fixture. Jewell, who says he wants to sign players for the long-term during the transfer window, revealed last week that he had made enquiries regarding two potential additions.

Jewell said: “One got injured in a Boxing Day game. There’s no progress but we’ve made enquiries and that’s as much as I want to say about that.

“There have been no more, just those two enquiries and as I say one of the players got injured on Boxing Day, so you can trawl through the fixtures!”

Jewell wouldn’t be drawn on the identity of the injured man but one possibility is Gillingham winger Chris Whelpdale, watched last month by Blues coach Sean McCarthy, who notably suffered a split scrotum in the Gills’ 2-1 victory over Crawley.

The Town manager says he is looking to strengthen all areas of his squad if the right players in the right price bracket become available: “I think if we can improve a certain position in the team, whatever that position is, we would like to do it, if it’s doable.

“I keep saying that I’d like to bring all the Barcelona team here as I think they would improve us, but there’s no way we’re going to get them. So, we’ve got to try and have realistic target and try and make sure we get our signings - hopefully for the long term - right.”

The Liverpudlian says he’s looking to establish a team over the next few years, citing Saturday’s opponents as an example of the sort of stability he is aiming for: “In an ideal world what I’d like to do is get players in in January that are going to come in and be here for three years. We’ve had lots of loan players and we’ve had lots of short-term deals.

“Look at Reading, they’ve got players who have been there two, three or four years and you see their continuity and that’s what we’re after. But that takes a while.”

In terms of the money available, Jewell says it’s not as simple as having a set figure to work to: “[Wigan chairman] Dave Whelan would never give me a budget because he said that any manager he gave a budget to went right to the budget and then came back and asked for more.

“Everything has to have parameters, though. You can’t spend money you just haven’t got. You have to speculate, there’s no doubt about that, but there’s a different between speculating and being silly about it and we don’t want to be silly. We want to be as ambitious as we possibly can without being stupid.”

He says that’s not to say that the Town owner won’t be providing cash: “I think if you look at things since Marcus Evans came to the club, you wouldn’t say he’s been penny-pinching.

“Money has been spent, I’ve spent some money, so it’s not as if Marcus is saying there’s no money there.

“I was speaking to Nigel Pearson after the game on Monday and he thinks there are at least 16 or 17 teams, if not more, in our league who think they should be in the Premier League.

“Leicester have spent a few quid, West Ham have spent a bit of money, Southampton, again like Reading there’s continuity with them, so we all want to spend money but at the same time I’m aware that the football club and the future of the football club is the most important thing.”

While Jewell has made his two approaches, he has received none regarding his current players so far: “Unfortunately not!” he joked. “We’ve had no enquiries regarding our players and I’m not in a rush, I’m more interested in trying to improve the squad.”

Photo: Action Images

pazelle added 12:16 - Dec 30 Every time he mentions signing Barcelona players I absolutely piss my pants
0

pazelle added 12:18 - Dec 30 PS George Porter and Kane Ferdinand please gaffer!
0

stu_ward27 added 12:27 - Dec 30 It was obviously Chris Whelpdale he was after then!!! We don't need any wingers, a right-back, a goalkeeper, a central midfielder and a centre-back is what's needed!!!
0

Back_The_Boss added 12:27 - Dec 30 Im like you Pazelle, I almost had that funny moment when PJ said mentioned Barca!
0

ReadingBoyBlue added 12:29 - Dec 30 Enquiries about a potential signing injured on boxing day? Andrews maybe??
0

Mark added 12:30 - Dec 30 I am glad Jewell is thinking long-terms, as most fans are fed up of loan signings over the last couple of seasons. I understand money is tight, but if transfer fees are invested well in younger players then they are just that, investments which can grow in value. I hope that Roy Keane's disasterous fees spent do not put Evans off investing in player transfer fees altogether, as loan transfers and freebies in their 30s can only take us so far. If we are serious about promotion, then Jewell needs to be given more than the £3M he has spent so far to spend on fees.

0

MaySixth added 12:31 - Dec 30 TITUS BRAMBLE!
0

Strikes added 12:36 - Dec 30 Was the Whelpdale injury an off the ball incident? (I'm here all week)
0

Hanwood added 12:45 - Dec 30 A split scrotum!! How does that happen?
0

bobble added 12:46 - Dec 30 already sacked ?
0

davidsc1971 added 12:46 - Dec 30 A player plainly prepared to put his balls on the line. Anyone know anything about him? Not the first area I think we should be strengthening mind...
0

PauloJulio added 12:47 - Dec 30 Don't know if Chris Whelpdale has the balls to play at championship level!
0

buryblue77 added 12:51 - Dec 30 He's keeping us all guessing, Keith Andrews was inujured on boxing day, he knows people can find out who was injured then so the rumours start and we know that Andrews is a player he wants to keep. I would like to see a new GK, RB, CB, CM (of the younger, more energetic defensive type) and possibly a CF. Also a winning lottery ticket would be nice!
0

AlanMahon2011 added 12:57 - Dec 30 Please be Liam Lawrence!
0

icetruckiller added 12:58 - Dec 30 Permanant, young signings from the lower leagues please, had a gutfull of oldies from the Premiership who turn up for a few months only.
0

AndyStannard added 13:07 - Dec 30 What the hell are you on about Stu_Ward 27????? need another central midfielder??????? oh so Bullard, Bowyer, Leadbitter, Healy, hyam and sometimes Jet isnt enought CM!!??? Lool
0

ClassyCranson added 13:10 - Dec 30 Jewell has wasted a lot of money in the signing on fees and wages of overpaid ex - premiership dross. It is a major financial consideration which few fans seem to take on board. The Wickham and Walters transfer funds are long gone in plugging losses. There are no players at the club now that could be sold for anything like what we got for Walters never mind Wickham and Evans has plugged the hugh shortfalls in every other year. Even with the loan players going back, I am suprised that the custodian is backing PJ financially in the forthcoming January transfer window. Jewell should be working with what he has got, he already been given a king's ransom compared to the majority of championship managers.

0

buryblue77 added 13:21 - Dec 30 Andystannard, in case it's escaped your attention Healy isn't at the club any longer. Bullard and Bowyer are ageing, I don't think any of us could give a stuff if Leadbitter goes and Hyam doesn't seem to get a look in now, so maybe after a promising start both Keane and now Jewell either don't think he's good enough or ready yet. And JET is more a wide player than CM. I don't know what stu wards criteria for a new CM is but mine is something in the shape of Hyam, someone who is young and a more defensive type player but good enough/ready to play because it's a position we lack.

0

AndyStannard added 13:33 - Dec 30 Buryblue77!! smashing points there i take it all back! soz stu-ward27!! my bad!! true with lbitter he will not be good enough anymore!! he was once at sland but hes had his chances and for all the appereances he cant buy a goal!! andrews comes in and bags 9 in however many he did! for me lbitter can go!! x
0

walberswick added 13:38 - Dec 30 If you are going to have loan players then january is the time to get them. You won't get a special player permanently at this time of year.
0

buryblue77 added 13:59 - Dec 30 AndyStannard, it would be nice if Leadbitter could buy a pass, let alone a goal!! LOL But, to your original point about needing a new CM, i guess it's not as critical as some other positions, RB and CB need addressing badly, then CM and CF after, trouble is have we got the funds for that level of improvement as I and many others don't want anymore loans.
0

slippery added 14:36 - Dec 30 Loy the Carlisle striker we were linked with broke his leg boxing day was it him???
0

iusedtobegood added 17:16 - Dec 30 Whelpdale used to be in our acedamy until released at 16.. Now we are buying him back.. Jeez
0

jas0999 added 19:09 - Dec 30 Only two? This is disaapointing - we have lost FOUR loanees and PJ wants a striker. This seems like more poor management by PJ - would have hoped for many more targets by now. This is of course without any players that may leave the club in January. Frankly I would expect new players in the squad for Monday - other clubs have made signings ready to start from 1 January - so why haven't we?

0

Blogs 297 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls