IPSWICH Town manager Paul Jewell is ‘confident’ that he will have signed a new player before his side’s Championship opener against Blackburn Rovers at Portman Road on Saturday.

The Blues boss said at his pre-match press conference this lunchtime that the bid he’d made for a player last weekend had been rejected and now looked ‘dead in the water’.

However, he also revealed that he’d made a fresh offer for a different player this morning and that, while he was still waiting for it to be accepted, he was ‘confident’ the player would be coming to the club.

“We’ve made a bid for a player this morning and we’re waiting to find out whether it will be accepted or not,” said Jewell.

“I am confident about this one actually. It could happen before the weekend. I’m trying to kid myself though because we’ve had so many knock-backs this summer.”

Speaking of the offer he’d made for a player last weekend, the Blues boss added: “We got knocked back on that one. That looks like it’s dead in the water, we tried to resurrect it but that hasn’t happened. The new bid is not for the same player as the one we bid for last weekend.”

Meanwhile, the Blues boss played down speculation that he may try and bring former Blue Connor Wickham back to Portman Road on loan after news broke that Sunderland are on the verge of signing striker Louis Saha.

– For all the latest Ipswich Town news, see tomorrow’s EADT and Ipswich Star.