With the old rumour mill starting to gather pace now, Sky Sports threw an interesting one into the pot this morning – Luton midfielder David Bell.
According to those boys, the 24-year-old could become Glenn's first capture of the summer with the Canaries leading the chase for the Hatters' star courtesy of 'a lucrative three-year deal'.
Why he interests old Ferret, is the line that Foxes boss Ian Holloway came out with when he signed him on the very final, transfer dead-line day right at the back end of March.
?He can play on either wing as well as in the middle of the park,” said the Leicester boss, with local boy Bell arriving too late to stop Holloway, Mandaric and Co from plummeting into the third tier of English football for the first time in their 124-year history.
Because that line tallies with something that Roeder mentioned in his end of season briefing the other week to the Press boys. “We'll have a couple of players coming in that can double up which is always very useful to have around the place,” he said, targets clearly already in mind.
“I've got a couple of players on my mind that can play in two positions – and you wouldn't know which was there best position,” he added.
Mmm, interesting.
Certainly Holloway has long been a fan – and the suggestion was that had the Foxes preserved their Championship status then Bell's switch out of the cash-strapped Hatters was a done deal. Relegation has thrown that little plan into confusion – enabling Norwich and Coventry to step into the fray.
?He is a young, exciting player with a big future ahead of him,” said Holloway. ?We have been watching his progress since he was at Rushden & Diamonds and I like him a lot. Luton have turned down a number of bids for him and we are delighted to have him on board.”
Wittingly or not, Holloway himself may have pointed to where the problem now lay – persuading the 5ft 10in Bell to sign up for another season of lower league football when his sights were so set on taking the next step up to Championship level.
That ambition was one of the things that Holloway liked about the lad; now he needs to shelve it if he is to join the Foxes.
“The good thing is that he has come from a club lower than us and is, if you like, on his way up,” Holloway told the Leicester Mercury at the time of his arrival.
?Some others have come to us in the opposite direction. No offence to them, but this lad is looking onwards and upwards with great ambition.?
That's the issue there – that if he is, indeed, looking “onwards and upwards with great ambition” he won't be looking in Leicester's direction. That the Hatters need to get shot is not in doubt.
Bell – bit like Rasiak and Skacel at Saints – was only ever bundled out of the door to get him off the wage bill. He is their highest earner – which is why one of the LTFC2020 consortium bidding to take over the stricken club was clearly hoping that the Foxes' new-found status did not scupper their interest.
“It's not black and white with Leicester,” a Gary Sweet told the Luton News. “We are led to believe with Leicester that they are very keen on Bell because he has done well since he has been there.”
Well enough for others to like the look of him…
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