IPSWICH Town have sounded out former stalwart Bryan Klug about the possibility of leading their famed academy into a new era.

With new Premier League led rules coming into play next season, the Blues are still weighing up which tier of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) they should apply for.

Over 5,000 supporters have signed a petition encouraging the club to push for top level status – the deadline for which is March 31 – but chief executive Simon Clegg has today insisted that the issue is far more complicated than many people realise.

Town are one of just six clubs outside of the top-flight who have indicated they are interested in exploring the possibility of Category One status. However, they would have to employ several more members of coaching staff and spend a significant amount of money upgrading their already excellent facilities to meet stringent audits.

And with season ticket prices frozen for next season, television revenue decreasing and business costs rocketing, any sort of expenditure has to be carefully managed.

Whatever the decision though, the EADT and Star understands that Klug has been targeted as the ideal man to lead the new team.

A former youth team player himself at the Blues, the 51-year-old became director of the club’s newly-formed academy in 1998. And a stream of top talent soon came off the Playford Road conveyor belt, including the likes of Kieron Dyer, Richard Wright and Titus Bramble.

Following nearly 30 years service to the club as player and coach though, Klug was controversially sacked in January 2010 during the management regime of Roy Keane. He is currently working as Head of Player Development at Tottenham Hotspur, but has always commuted from his home in Suffolk.

“It would be wrong for me to speculate on any member of staff, past or present,” said Clegg. “One thing is clear though – even if we aspire to Category Two – there will be a need for additional staff.”