THE hunt for a new centre half and a striker continues unabated today with Ipswich Town making fresh loan enquiries this week.Blues boss Jim Magilton has targeted at least two Premiership players to help the Blues as they strive for promotion.

Derek Davis

THE hunt for a new centre half and a striker continues unabated today with Ipswich Town making fresh loan enquiries this week.

Blues boss Jim Magilton has targeted at least two Premiership players to help the Blues as they strive for promotion.

With the battle for the play-off places hotting up, Ipswich could go as high as fifth with a win over Charlton on Saturday, or be as low as tenth if they lose, any extra help will be gratefully received.

Magilton revealed in the aftermath of the 4-1 defeat by Barnsley that he was still looking or a loan signing or two and warned his players that changes will be made.

Town are looking at experienced Premier League players like Chris Riggott who chose to go to Stoke City for the remainder of the season.

Blackburn's international defender Stephan Henchoz is the type of player Town want although he is still recovering from an Achilles injury.

Former Fulham boss Chris Coleman, who is now manager of Coventry, has asked about the possibility of taking either Carlos Bocanegra or former Portsmouth centre half Dejan Stefanovic and they would be the calibre of defender that would suit Town.

Town's assistant manager Bryan Klug has spoken of the frustration Ipswich have felt in trying to secure players.

He said: “It's been disappointing that we have not been able to bring in players that we have targeted.

"We have worked very hard behind the scenes with our scouting department trawling clubs and players far and wide and we have identified targets.

“With the investment we have now got, we have looked to bring in some good players but unfortunately we have not been able to bring in those players for a variety of reasons.”

Up front Bolton's Heider Helguson may be available for a loan by the club but convincing the player to come to East Anglia may prove tricky as Ipswich have found to their cost before.

Klug has been amazed at the reasons given for players not wanting to move out of the comfort zone of being on the bench, if that, instead of playing on a regular basis in a promotion chase.

He said: “Some of those reasons you can understand, some you shake your head in amazement but at the end of the day, we only want players at this football club who want to be here.

"Personally speaking, I would have thought that with football being a short career, you would want to be playing games. That's what you train for every day, to play.

"Some of the players have shown a lack of ambition as far as I'm concerned in not coming here - or they have been badly advised, which is probably the main reason.

"Agents perceive that a move to the Championship is not a good move for their client's career. That is the modern game now.

"Looking at it from my angle, I just don't understand why a player would be happy to train all week and then sit in the stands at the weekend."

Magilton is hoping he can secure a defender this week with the 'emergency loan' window closing on Thursday, March 27.