Town boss Joe Royle says he has an eye on a number of targets he might bring in on loan. Royle says the players are not currently available but he is hopeful that situation might change.

The Town manager says he regularly makes contact with the targets' clubs: "There are two or three players I ask about consistently.

"The players I am interested in are not available right now, but things change and I am always monitoring the situation.

"If it's not possible now, we might be able to do something later. We are always looking to improve, which is always the case in football. Even Arsenal believe they can get better."

Royle revealed in the summer he was after a loan defender, an attempt to bring Arsenal's Justin Hiyte failing then due to the Gunners' attempt to sign Ajax's Hatem Trabelsi breaking down.

The Town boss has also said on a number of occasions he wants a frontman who can hold the ball up better than the strikers currently in his squad, while a winger in the Alan Mahon mould - or perhaps even Mahon himself - may also be on Royle's list.

Photo: Action Images

Ipswich Town Polls