IPSWICH TOWN: Jimmy Bullard is already turning out to be one ‘L’ of a signing.

The club shop at Portman Road has been in overdrive printing the popular midfielder’s name and number – 21 – on the back of shirts since his return to the club little over a week ago.

So much so they have had to order in extra letter L’s to deal with the demand.

“On a usual match day we would print about 40 shirts,” said the Blues’ newly-appointed retail manager Lee Hyde. “Two days after Jimmy Bullard signed though we did double that – we actually ran dangerously close to running out of L’s and number ones!”

With optimism amongst supporters generally high going into this campaign and manager Paul Jewell having now made 11 summer signings, retail business has been booming for the Blues.

Michael Chopra number 10 shirts flew off the shelves in June following his coup, but those sales have been quickly overtaken by the return of charismatic playmaker Bullard.

“The more off-field revenue we make, the more Paul Jewell gets in his transfer budget,” said Hyde. “The new home shirt has already outdone the old one in terms of sales at this stage of the season.

“I think the retro design of the kit has helped because that seems to be the style that’s coming back into fashion at the moment.”

And with the team’s new range of benchwear having been made available to buy over the weekend, Jewell will be hoping his coffers will be boosted even more ahead of the opening of the loan transfer window on Thursday.

Top five shirt sellers at Ipswich Town:-

1) Jimmy Bullard 21

2) Michael Chopra 10

3) Lee Bowyer 8

4) Jay Emmanuel-Thomas / JET 9

5) Aaron Cresswell 3