Steve Cotterill admits he is unlikely to follow up his interest in Ipswich midfielder Grant Leadbitter now he is manager at Nottingham Forest.
Forest unlikely to move for Town midfielder; Jewell made Moussi bid
Steve Cotterill admits he is unlikely to follow up his interest in Ipswich midfielder Grant Leadbitter now he is manager at Nottingham Forest.
Cotterill made a move for Leadbitter during his time at Portsmouth, with one offer knocked back.
It was suggested that he may turn to the 25-year-old again now that he has inherited the reins at the City Ground.
Cotterill has sought to curb the speculation, though, by claiming that he is looking to strengthen in other areas.
He remains an admirer of Leadbitter, who is in the final year of his contract at Portman Road, but feels he needs to be looking elsewhere for reinforcements.
"There was some interest when I was at Portsmouth, yes," Cotterill said after guiding Forest to a 3-2 victory over Ipswich on Saturday.
"I've been an admirer of Grant Leadbitter for a long time but it wasn't something I wanted made public as I like to do things properly.
"I don't know whether that interest will be renewed at Nottingham Forest though simply because we have a lot of central midfield players. There are other positions we probably need to look at."
Excuse
One of the midfielders current on Forest's books is Guy Moussi.
The Frenchman saw his contract with the Reds run out at the end of last season, making him a free agent.
Ipswich boss Paul Jewell has revealed that he tried to sign the 26-year-old over the summer, but was left frustrated as Moussi opted to pen a new three-year deal with Forest.
"We tried to get Moussi but his sister or his mum didn't want him to come to Ipswich, so he didn't come," he said.
"I just shook my head and moved on. Maybe it was his agent spinning me a yarn."
