What do Sunderland and Ipswich have in common – apart from sharing the same league? Well, we seem to share the same transfer ambitions too! Luke Garbutt has to decide during the next few days whether to return to Portman Road permanently, or move to the northeast and join Sunderland.
The Sunderland Echo suggests that the chances of Town signing the 27-year-old are slim but I am not too sure? He was happy here, and it is unlikely that the deal that the Black Cats will offer him will be much better. The Blues remain hopeful that Garbutt might be persuaded to come back to Suffolk, as he had not ruled out the possibility when his loan spell expired.”I will never close the door on the possibility of coming back to Ipswich on a permanent basis and it’s something I will definitely consider,” he told reporters back in June. The time to ‘definitely consider’ has arrived and we can only hope his time here was rewarding.
Then there is 34-year old Danny Graham. Sunderland and Ipswich are locking horns over his signature too, and it remains to be seen where his head might turn as negotiations intensify. Black Cats boss Phil Parkinson is very keen on the experienced forward, who has been frozen out at Blackburn Rovers ending a four-and-a-half-year stay at Ewood Park. He is now available on a free and of course, anything free always appeals to Ipswich Town!
We hear today that former Republic of Ireland left-back Stephen Ward will spend the next week or more training at Playford Road. The 34-year-old left-back is a free agent since he left Stoke at the end of last season, but if we hire him along with Graham, the average age of the squad will increase considerably, given that Luke Chambers and Cole Skuse are regular members of the first team too!
And to add salt into the wound, there is talk that 23-year old Kayden Jackson has three clubs chasing his signature. Championship newcomers Coventry City were the first to show real interest but they have recently been joined by Stoke City and Birmingham City, in a three-way tussle for the young forward.
I hope that Graham and Ward do not join. They are at the end of their careers and are nothing more than journeymen these days, looking for the last pay cheque before hanging up their boots. I would, however, love to see Luke Garbutt return, but the chances of that happening are sadly not very great.
