Ipswich Town boss Paul Jewell is desperate to get his hands on a 20-goal-a-season striker to reignite the Blues’ Championship promotion hopes for 2011/12. The Suffolk side have toiled in the absence of an out-and-out goalscorer for several seasons and it has left Town hamstrung in the midst of the Championship table for a number of seasons.
Blues supporters long for a genuine playoff charge in 2011/12 and Jewell is targeting new front men to pose a threat at the right end of the table.
Jewell said: “I want a goalscorer or two who will do anything to score a goal. I don’t think we have that devilment, that type of player who will kick his granny to score a goal.”
The former Wigan and Bradford boss hauled Ipswich into top half contention after taking charge in January, eventually finishing 13th and closer to the playoff pack than the relegation zone which seemed unthinkable when former boss Roy Keane left in the New Year.
Doncaster Rovers hit-man Billy Sharp has already been the subject of attention from the Tractor Boys with a £2.3 million bid for his services along with a further £300,000 offer for Rovers’ playmaker James Coppinger. Both offers were declined by Donny supremo John Ryan but not only does the offer underline Jewell’s eagerness to complete deals, it also highlights the continued ambition of reclusive Town owner, Marcus Evans.
The likes of Sharp, David Nugent, Craig Mackail-Smith, Danny Graham and Ched Evans have all been linked since the season drew to a close but Jewell may be forced into the lower leagues to take a gamble on hot-shots from League’s One and Two.
Rotherham’s Adam Le Fondre has found the net with impressive regularity in recent seasons and would be available at a cut-price following the Millers’ failed promotion push. Meanwhile Chesterfield’s Craig Davies finally appears to be maturing into the striker that showed good promise whilst at Oxford United as a youngster.
Recent Championship promotion winners Blackpool and Norwich have shown you don’t need to break the bank to succeed in the second tier and it promises to be a summer of wheeling and dealing in the blue half of East Anglia.
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