FORMER Ipswich Town team-mates Darren Currie and Jon Macken could soon be reunited - at Championship leaders Derby County.Macken, who spent a three-month loan spell at Portman Road and who is a striker manager Jim Magilton said he would like to keep permanently, last night completed a free transfer from Crystal Palace.

By Derek Davis

FORMER Ipswich Town team-mates Darren Currie and Jon Macken could soon be reunited - at Championship leaders Derby County.

Macken, who spent a three-month loan spell at Portman Road and who is a striker manager Jim Magilton said he would like to keep permanently, last night completed a free transfer from Crystal Palace.

The Rams have also expressed an interest in taking Currie on loan with a view to a permanent move to Pride Park, although that won't happen until the 'emergency' loan window opens in a week's time.

Although the Blues are looking to off-load Currie they have been asking for a fee which Coventry, Millwall and Brighton were reluctant to pay for a player who is out of contract in June.

Town will not get anything for the 32-year-old winger now but will look to get him off the wage bill and if Billy Davies follows up his interest it would be a good move for Currie.

The transfer window closed last night without Town adding to the four new signings made this month, although Magilton is still looking to bring in at least one more loanee and thought he was close to completing a deal last night before it fell through.

Simon Walton, another former loanee with Ipswich, has joined Cardiff City on loan from Charlton ending any hopes that he would return.

Dean Bowditch has returned to Brighton for another month's loan after recovering from a groin injury and manager Dean Wilkins is looking to take him in the longer term, while Cambridge United have signed FA Youth Cup winner Aidan Collins on a monthly contract.

Winger Martin Brittain has re-joined Yeovil on loan until the end of the season. The 22-year-old joined the Blues from Newcastle on a free transfer in August, and made one first-team appearance as a substitute in the Carling Cup.

Magilton had said that he was keen to see Brittain at close-quarters playing for Town but never got a first-team opportunity this time.

West Ham were involved in the most fascinating deadline-day transfers last night with Matthew Upson completing his switch from Birmingham and Javier Mascherano on his way out.

The Premiership strugglers were successful with their third attempt to sign want-away centre-back Upson, who was a Suffolk schoolboy when he played alongside Kieron Dyer and Richard Wright.

An initial £6million payment has been agreed which could rise to £7.5m depending on appearances.

Upson is a welcome arrival for the Hammers, who are set to lose Argentina midfielder Mascherano after FIFA ruled he could join Liverpool on loan.

Birmingham boss Steve Bruce will not be happy at losing Upson, especially with no time to get in a replacement. He will also remember how selling Marcus Stewart to Ipswich when he was the Huddersfield manager had a destabilising effect on the Terriers and will hope this sale will not derail Birmingham's promotion dream.

Bruce will take some solace in completing the £1m signing of on-loan Swedish midfielder Sebastian Larsson from Arsenal on a four-year contract.

Stoke captain Michael Duberry, who played against Ipswich on Tuesday night, completed his move to Reading after the Royals invoked a clause in his contract that allowed him to join a Premiership club for £800,000.

He will link up with Greg Halford at the Madejski Stadium, after the U's starlet signed on Tuesday in a £2.5m deal.

Watford captured 25-year-old Scotland midfielder Gareth Williams from Leicester.

He became manager Adrian Boothroyd's fifth signing of the transfer window, joining for an undisclosed fee.

Manchester City brought left-back Michael Ball back home to England for an undisclosed fee from Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven.

Norwich have drafted in Simon Lappin from St Mirren for an undisclosed fee and the unattached former Celtic starlet Mark Fotheringham.

Former Canaries captain Craig Fleming has joined League One strugglers Rotherham on a free transfer.

Mark Yeates, who starred for Colchester last season while on loan from Tottenham, has now joined Leicester, who have also taken veteran striker Geoff Horsfield on loan from Sheffield United.

Southend have signed Motherwell's Ritchie Foran for £200,000.

Blues midfielder Gavin Williams is to have a scan on a pelvic injury, understood to be different from the troublesome groin problem that has plagued him this season, despite surgery earlier in the campaign.