McAuley considers his options

New Ipswich manager Paul Jewell faces a battle to keep defender Gareth McAuley.

The 31-year-old, whose contract expires in June, is reportedly unhappy with the way negotiations to extend his stay at Portman Road have gone.

McAuley told The East Anglian Daily Times: "It should have been sorted out last summer.

"Ipswich turned down a couple of offers for me and if they were keen to keep me they should have offered me a new deal instead of letting it drag on for months.

"There have been further discussions, but we're no further forward.

"I'm happy here, but I have got to look after number one at this stage of my career. I'm not after silly money, but the contract offer is not right at the moment."