Source: Bournemouth_Echo
Cherries: Back to the drawing board for Lee after Franks deal collapses
LEE Bradbury insisted he would take his time identifying the right loan recruit after being forced back to the drawing board. The Cherries chief was last night made to re-assess his options when his planned swoop for Jonathan Franks ended in frustration due to injury. Cherries' bid to sign the Middlesbrough striker collapsed when scans revealed the 20-year-old was facing around four weeks on the sidelines. Bradbury had been poised to complete an initial one-month deal for Franks but the Stockton-born ace then sustained an ankle problem while training with his parent club on Sunday. The England youth international, who can also play on the wing, had the injury assessed in the North East, leaving the switch up in the air yesterday afternoon. And Cherries' hopes of signing Franks were ruined when scan results predicted a lengthy absence for the Boro man. The news means Bradbury will have to restart his tireless search for striking reinforcements as he aims to bolster Cherries' squad for the League One promotion push. Speaking to the Echo last night, Bradbury said: The loan window closes on the last Thursday in March. We want to strengthen and have got a few weeks to do it yet, so there is no great rush. Ingsy (Danny Ings) did great when he came on on Saturday and he changed the game, so it's not too bad. But it was frustrating because we thought we had found someone who could come in and do a good job and improve the squad, then he went in to do a little bit of training on Sunday and damaged his ankle. We'll re-address it and we are always looking to improve the squad and make the team better. It can't be helped and it is not anyone's fault. We just have to be patient and keep looking again. Discussing Franks, Bradbury added: He went for a scan and has damaged his ankle. He is going to be out for four to five weeks. It is not going to happen now, which is disappointing. I felt he would have brought something that we haven't really got. He's quick, wants to run in behind and stretch out the line. Bradbury moved for the Teessider after he was recommended by his former Portsmouth team-mate Gary O'Neil, who played alongside Franks at Boro. Franks is the second striker Bradbury has missed out on since he went in search of a loan recruit, having failed with an enquiry for West Brom's former Reading and Swindon star Simon Cox.