DERBY County boss Nigel Clough has revealed that he is interested in signing Ipswich Town striker Jon Stead, though as yet no deal is imminent.

Carl Marston

Ipswich soccer

By Carl Marston

DERBY County boss Nigel Clough has revealed that he is interested in signing Ipswich Town striker Jon Stead, though as yet no deal is imminent.

Clough is keen to recruit a new striker on loan, and target man Stead, currently out of favour at Portman Road, could fit the bill.

Town manager Roy Keane has targets of his own - two players currently on the books of Premier League clubs - so Stead might be allowed to leave.

“Jon Stead is a player that we have asked about,” confessed Rams boss Clough yesterday.

“However, I don't think that there will be any movement in this direction at the moment.”

Keane said: “I've heard nothing about Jon Stead and Derby County, though it wouldn't surprise me because I left him out of the squad (against Swansea on Saturday).

“It would not surprise me if there were enquiries. There have been one or two calls to the chief executive at the club.

“As yet no one is close to leaving, though of course that could change very quickly,” confirmed Keane.

Yorkshireman Stead had a loan spell at Derby three years ago, scoring three goals in 15 appearances, before his move permanent move from Sunderland to Sheffield United at the start of 2007.

Meanwhile, although Keane was knocked back in his attempts to sign a loan player last week, he has plenty more irons in the fire.

And he reckons that although his side are rock bottom of the Championship, with no wins in 12 games, Portman Road is still an attractive place to come.

“Some players have spent a lot of time trying to get into the Premier League, and so are reluctant to drop back down into the Championship,” explained Keane.

“The one or two players I'm after are at Premier League clubs. I've been in contact with their managers, and they say that they will let me know how things are going.

“I can't drag players down here, I have to respect that. I never got to speak to the players, and I can understand their desire to stay where they are.

“But if I was a player in their shoes, I would see coming to Ipswich as a great challenge.

“If the results then changed, the new players coming in would be seen as having a massive role in turning the club around,” added Keane.

Town entertain Watford at Portman Road this evening, hoping that it's 13th time lucky after six draws and six defeats from their first 12 fixtures.