IPSWICH Town manager Paul Jewell has lifted the lid on a summer of transfer frustration on the eve of his side’s opening game of the season.

With five of his 23 professionals unavailable for tonight’s visit of League Two side Bristol Rovers in the Capital One Cup, the Blues boss admits he has serious reservations about his squad’s strength in depth ahead of the start of the new Championship campaign on Saturday.

“Everything that could go wrong in the transfer market, has gone wrong so far,” revealed Jewell, who will be forced to field academy youngsters such as Gunnar Thorsteinsson and Cormac Burke on his seven-man bench tonight.

“We’ve had players here, agreed terms, medicals have been passed and, at the last minute, something has happened.

“Last week we had a player here from a Premier League team. Everything was agreed for a year’s loan and then someone got injured at his place and the club said we would have to wait until the 31st of August.

“In one case there was a change of heart at the last minute by a manager and there have been one or two others fall through because we just couldn’t afford them.

“Sometimes we’ve spoken to clubs and not been able to agree fees, sometimes we’ve agreed a price but then haven’t been able to agree terms with the player.

“We want these players to come to Ipswich for at least three or four years, not just for a last pay day. If I get the impression that they’re only coming for the money then I’ve quickly decided to pull the plug on one or two.

“I was asked after the Southend game ‘would there be new faces in before Blackburn?’ and I said ‘100%’. I left myself hung out to dry and won’t make that mistake again.”

He continued: “We’ve had a bid accepted for one player by a Premier League club, but, I have to be honest, that deal is dependent on whether that team can get a replacement.

“We’re three players short of where I want to be – at least. I’m not unhappy with my first eleven, I just think that once we get a couple of injuries we will be unbelievably stretched.

“It’s really important that we remain selective over players though. We’ve got a long-term project here and I think people can see we’re building a younger squad. We want to continue on that route, but at the same time add one or two experienced players to help that group along.”

– For live updates from tonight’s game, follow @Stuart_Watson and @davegoods on Twitter.