By Aston
March 17 2006

Ipswich Town manager Joe Royle has made it clear he wants to keep on-loan striker Ricardo Fuller permanently.

Fuller is currently on-loan from Southampton until after Towns game against Hull next Saturday but Joe would like to keep him well beyond that if the finances at Portman Road allow.

 

Joe: “We will have to weigh up the financial implications, Ricardo is on Premiership money at Southampton and we cannot afford to get into any tight financial corners.

 

“It will be a decision that might have to be dictated by finance.

 

“I have seen enough of Ricardo and would love to have him on a permanent basis.

 

“I would be more than happy to go into next season with a squad including the strike force of Ricardo, Alan Lee, Sam Parkin and Nicky Forster.

 

“Plus we have the promise of Danny Haynes, Billy Clarke and Dean McDonald.

 

“There were signs at Preston on Tuesday that Ricardo and Alan can form a potent partnership up front, and this is what we need.

 

“I know I was a front player, but they are the strength of your team.

 

“We have used 20 strike pairings this season. I am not a manager looking for excuses, but at a conservative estimate we would be ten points better off and very much in the play-off mix if we had enjoyed the same fortune as last season when Darren Bent and Shefki Kuqi missed very few games.

 

“And when Shefki missed matches we lost three on the bounce that effectively denied us automatic promotion.”  

 

Source: Evening Star

 

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