Source: Northern_Echo
Jones in Anfield switch
WITH Brad Jones having spent yesterday undergoing a medical at Liverpool's Melwood training ground, Gordon Strachan will spend the next 24 hours pondering how best to invest the Australian's £2.3m transfer fee.[LNB] After more than a week of intensive negotiations, Jones was finally give permission to travel to Merseyside yesterday morning after Boro officials accepted an improved offer for the goalkeeper.[LNB] His switch to Anfield, on a three-year contract, will be confirmed later today, in time for him to be named in the squad for Thursday night's Europa League qualifier with Turkish side Trabzonspor, and attention on Teesside will switch to what to do with the money received from Liverpool.[LNB] Strachan's first key decision is whether to sign another goalkeeper, and while his thinking might well have been influenced by Jason Steele's strong showings against Chesterfield and Leicester, he is still expected to recruit another shot-stopper before the transfer window closes.[LNB] However, rather than signing an experienced goalkeeper in the mould of Crystal Palace's Julian Speroni, the Boro boss could now set his sights on a possible replacement for current number two Danny Coyne.[LNB] That would enable Steele to continue his development in the first team, but ensure the presence of adequate back-up were the 19-year-old to suffer a drop in form during his maiden season in the senior ranks.[LNB] Strachan has previously been linked with Hamilton goalkeeper Tomas Cerny, and whereas Speroni would cost around £2m, the Czech shot-stopper would be available for around half that price.[LNB] Crucially, that would enable Strachan to also fund the purchase of a midfielder from the money received for Jones.[LNB] The Scot has spent most of the summer eyeing a pair of Scotland-based wingers, and as if the need for midfield reinforcements was not evident enough during preseason, it has been enhanced by the injuries to Willo Flood and Kevin Thomson in the opening week of the campaign.[LNB] Flood will be sidelined for six months after dislocating his kneecap against Ipswich, while Thomson will be unavailable for eight weeks after fracturing his fibula at Leicester last weekend.[LNB] In their absence, Strachan's midfield options are somewhat limited, and once Jones' departure is officially confirmed, the Boro boss is set to make a renewed approach to both Dundee United and Hearts about Craig Conway and Andrew Driver respectively.[LNB] The highly-rated Driver would be Strachan's preferred option, but Hearts' £3.5m valuation of the 22-year-old, who was left out of the side that drew with St Johnstone last weekend, could prove prohibitive.[LNB] Talks with Dundee United stalled when they refused to lower their £1.2m asking price for Conway, but Strachan will be hoping there is room for manoeuvre before the transfer window closes in a fortnight's time.[LNB] Seb Hines, Josh Walker, Andrew Taylor and Jonathan Grounds have been named in a strong Boro reserve side for this afternoon's game with Scunthorpe at the Riverside (2pm).[LNB] Celtic manager Neil Lennon has suffered an early-season blow after summer signing Gary Hooper was ruled out for up to six weeks with a calf tear.[LNB] The 22-year-old former Boro target sat out the opening Clydesdale Bank Premier League victory over Inverness on Saturday after suffering the injury during a pre-season friendly against Blackburn.[LNB]
