PAUL Jewell is acutely aware that he is running out of time to bring in new signings before the January transfer window slams shut.

The Blues are currently in negotiations with three players from Portsmouth – Jason Pearce, Joel Ward and an unnamed third – and have had a bid accepted for young Falkirk defender Murray Wallace.

But a deal for the 19-year-old is far from clear-cut with Brighton and Huddersfield also said to have tabled a successful offer – meaning the final decision rests with the teenager.

With just five days left for Town to sign anyone permanently, supporters are growing concerned that Ipswich could line up against table-topping West Ham on Tuesday night with no new faces.

And Jewell admitted: “We’re against the clock now and I understand we need to bring players in to help the group we’ve got.

“I’m concerned, but it’s not like we’ve just decided last week that we need players. We’ve been trying really hard to bring people in, but transfers are so long and drawn out these days.

“They take up so much energy and, to be honest, include so much bull. I get really tired of it.”

The Town boss yesterday admitted he was dividing his time between trying to bring in fresh blood before next Tuesday’s deadline and plotting a shock against league leaders West Ham, who yesterday had a reported �7 million bid for Rangers striker Nikica Jelavic rejected.

And while not allowing his focus to slip from the relegation fight, Jewell has obviously grown tired of the unseen difficulties in bringing in new players.

He explained: “Gone are the days where you would just ring up another manager, ask him to take one of their players on loan and he’d say ‘yeah, he’s on his way’.

“Now you have to speak to his agent, the agent’s wife, cat, dog, it’s ridiculous. That’s the way it is these days though, sometimes even loans take forever.

“When Tamas Priskin went to Derby on loan for instance, I never spoke to the manager – it was all done through third parties. I don’t think it’s for the better because the more people that are involved, the trickier it gets.”