Ipswich consider cost of keeping rejuvenated Tiger Bullard

IPSWICH TOWN manager Paul Jewell admits any hopes of making Jimmy Bullard’s switch permanent in the summer would depend on the midfielder and Hull City striking a deal over the remaining two years of his KC Stadium contract.

The 32-year-old, Hull’s one-time £5m record signing, has been a big hit at Portman Road since joining on loan during the January transfer window.

Ipswich are keen to make the deal permanent with Jewell having been hugely impressed by the impact made by Bullard, whose seven appearances have yielded five wins and one draw.

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One major stumbling block, however, is the player’s £45,000-per-week contract with the Tigers – which will still have two years to run after the end of this season.

Jewell, who had previously worked with former England player Bullard at Wigan Athletic, last night told the Yorkshire Post: “Jimmy has been brilliant since he came to Ipswich.

“I knew what I was going to get with Jimmy and I have not been disappointed. Jimmy has had a huge influence on the team.

“Everyone loves him at the club. The fans have really taken to him and he is a big character in the dressing room. He has made a real difference.

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“If something could happen, we would be very happy. But his wages are a big financial commitment that we certainly wouldn’t be able to afford. Some agreement would have to be reached between Jimmy and Hull.”

Just what form a possible agreement between Hull and the midfielder could take remains to be seen with one option being the player simply ripping up his deal.

Alternatively – and, perhaps, far more likely – the Tigers could follow the lead of clubs such as Leeds United who have, effectively, paid players to leave in the past.

Robbie Fowler and Danny Mills, for example, were still being paid a percentage of their Elland Road wages long after leaving the West Yorkshire club.

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Bullard, whose wages for the rest of this season are being jointly funded by both Ipswich and the Tigers, netted on his Tractor Boys debut in a 2-1 win at Derby County. He also scored both goals in last Saturday’s hugely impressive 2-0 triumph at promotion-chasing Cardiff City.

Jewell, whose side travel to Elland Road tomorrow, said: “Jimmy brings a goal-scoring threat. Unfortunately, he picked up a hamstring injury in our win at Cardiff and we definitely missed him on Tuesday night (when Reading won 3-1 at Portman Road). Hopefully, he will be okay for Leeds.”

In Hull, Bullard has become a symbol of the largesse that almost brought the East Riding club down before the Allam family stepped in to take charge late last year.

A failure to include a relegation-clause – to reduce his wages – at the time of the midfielder’s arrival in January, 2009, meant he had become a huge financial millstone around Hull’s neck.

Next season, for instance, Hull’s playing budget will be set at £11.7m – meaning Bullard’s annual earnings of £2.34m accounting for 20 per cent of the total.

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