IPSWICH legend George Burley, the last Blues boss to bring Premier League football to Portman Road, has declared his interest in taking over from Paul Jewell.

A day after Jewell left the Town hot-seat, by way of mutual consent, the club have begun whittling down a list of around 40 potential candidates.

Alan Curbishley is the bookmakers’ favourite but Burley, who played 500 times for Town and then managed them for eight years, has today come out and said he wants to make an emotional return.

Speaking to this newspaper, Burley said: “Of course I would be interested. I have been part of this club since I was 15 years old. It will always be my club – it is in my blood.”

- For a full interview with Burley about the Ipswich Town job, what type of manager Marcus Evans should be looking for and his own managerial highs and lows, see tomorrow’s EADT and Ipswich Star