To be fair, it's been one of the biggest 'Who-is-it's?' of the summer.
That No 5 shirt. Just lying there. Empty.
Today the gaffer dropped the biggest hint yet that it will be filled come August 31; the lad concerned might even make it in time for August 11 and the trip to Deepdale.
Well, just.
“I've still got a defender on the list,” confirmed the City chief, as Rusty signed in at Carrow Road this lunchtime.
“I've made a few phone-calls. But as I've said to you before, managers are still saying: 'Well, can we wait till the week prior..?' Which is not ideal.
“But if you're not going to spend big bucks that's the way you've got to work.”
Which screams out loan – if anyone hasn't twigged that already. And the fact that it is a defender should come as no surprise – he ruled out any further additions to his strike department a good week or so ago.
It's why Riordan was never really a runner up at Celtic. Not now. No more room in that department.
“Maybe you'll be looking at the loan situation,” Granty confirmed. “And I know what managers are like – just like I am.
“You're looking at certain situations and thinking: 'Well, if I get a couple of injuries…'
“Last week I thought I had four or five midfield players vying for the central spot. This week I've maybe got one. So that's the way it quickly changes.”
But he is clearly starting to get there; he may even just be one phone call and a 'Pack you bags, son!' instruction away from bolting that final piece of his summer jigsaw into place.
“There's a few that we've close to and spoke to; it's just a matter of the manager giving us the nod on some.”
For what old Ferret's money might be worth, I'd bank on a young Premiership boy coming out on loan – much in the same way as Jimmy Smith did briefly at Chelsea.
Gunny pulls another favour out of the hat and gives some bright, strapping prospect a season in the finishing school of the Championship. A belated 'Thank you…' for all those baby-sitting shifts. That sort of thing.
And for those of you, like Ferret, who like to do their sums, the gaffers midfield quote was interesting; the one about five becoming one.
Five would be… Etuhu, Brellier, Fotheringham, Safri and Smith.
If we work on the basis of Rusty being a bit ring rusty, that would leave Fozzy as the last man standing. For now.
Word has it that Safs was at Carrow Road; he's still not gone anywhere. He was, however, late for the photo-call – hence his no-show in the official team shot.
Who knows? Perhaps his mind was elsewhere…
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