IPSWICH Town are paying an agent to get rid of unwanted players at Portman Road.We can today reveal a FIFA registered agent was given a list of ten names he was asked to either sell or get loan moves for.

Derek Davis

IPSWICH Town are paying an agent to get rid of unwanted players at Portman Road.

We can today reveal a FIFA registered agent was given a list of ten names he was asked to either sell or get loan moves for.

The Blues refuse to name the man they are using, but it is understood he has strong Scottish connections, and was instrumental in landing Chris Casement a loan spell at Hamilton Academical.

He was also heavily involved in the £600,000 move taking Alan Lee to Crystal Palace.

Gary Roberts has also recently been sold to Huddersfield Town for around £250,000 and Blues chief executive Derek Bowden believes it makes good business practise to now employ an agent.

Bowden said: “It is sometimes the case where you would ask an agent to relocate some players. Clearly at the beginning of the season we knew we would have a large squad and there were one or two players we wanted to move on and others we wanted to put out on loan.

“From time to time it is useful to use an agent as they have their own network so there have been occasions when we have used an agent to find players other clubs.

“It is common and straightforward and we use an FA approved contract, so it is all entirely above board.”

The Blues paid £405,000 in agents' fees during the period from July 2007, to June 2008, with £280,000 in the latter six months of that period, which was from when Marcus Evans took over as owner.

Bowden insists there are still times when deals are done the old fashioned way when agents only get involved after clubs have agreed a fee.

He said: “There are still occasion where a chairman or chief executive will just phone and say we are interested in signing X and an agent is not getting involved.”

With Town still looking to sell at least one more player and to find temporary homes for another four, the agent still has plenty of work to do, although more loan deals are expected once the 'emergency' transfer window opens on Tuesday.

It will also give Town the opportunity to land at least two more players with a central defender and left-sided midfielder the priority.

Stoke City's Ryan Shawcross or Leon Cort could fill the gap at the back after Town failed to buy Roger Johnson from Cardiff City.

Kyle Reid, Adam Johnson and Scott Sinclair, are among the favourites for the left side of midfield role.