Roy Keane has responded to reports that arrangements have been made for Ipswich Town starlet Connor Wickham to join Tottenham Hotspur by branding the suggestions as ‘absolute nonsense’.
Some sections of the media had picked up on the recent introduction to Portman Road of two Tottenham youngsters – namely Andros Townsend and most recently Jake Livermore – with rumours that the loan deals are part of an arrangement that will see Wickham eventually move to White Hart Lane. Tottenham were among several big Premier League sides regularly linked with the promising young striker over the summer but Ipswich have repeatedly emphasised that he is not for sale. Following the latest reports, Keane rubbished talk of a secret deal with Spurs.
‘People who think that way clearly do not know me,’ he told reporters in East Anglia, distinctly unimpressed by the suggestions. ‘There is no need for us to work that way… there is no sense in that – it is all absolute nonsense.’
Meanwhile further rumours surrounding Wickham had surfaced after Newcastle United manager Chris Hughton was spotted at Glanford Park during the Blues’ draw at Scunthorpe last Saturday. The Toon boss has however distanced himself from rumours that he was there on a scouting mission to watch the England U17 international.
‘There is absolutely nothing in it,’ Hughton told the Evening Chronicle ‘I went to Scunthorpe on Saturday because it was one of the closest places to get to after training.’ (Probably just as well, given that Wickham was hauled off by Keane after just 30 minutes!)
Wickham is always likely to attract interest and the latest stories are nothing new. Should the 17-year-old truly be destined to become ‘the next Wayne Rooney’ as many pundits have forecast, his future may not lie at Ipswich for long. However, Keane has been quick to warn the media away from hyping up Wickham any further and suffice to say it is probably acknowledged by all concerned that the teenager is best off continuing his footballing education at Portman Road for the foreseeable future.
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