Jonah the Claret?-by TMP

It has strongly been rumoured today that Crewe forward Steve Jones, known to his friends as Jonah, could soon be a Claret. The Northern Ireland International will be out-of-contract this summer. The Daily Mail today wrote the following about a potential transfer:

‘Burnley looks to have won the race to sign Crewe's Northern Ireland forward Steve Jones on a free transfer. Stoke and Plymouth have also expressed interest in handing the 29-year-old a Championship reprieve but sources at relegated Crewe revealed he was '95% certain' to join Burnley.’

Other clubs today have also been linked to the player in addition to the Clarets, Stoke and Plymouth. Cardiff has been showing some interest and may also be looking to sign our current loan, Phil Bardsley on a season long loan from Manchester United for 2006-7. The list of other interested clubs seem endless with Derby, Watford, QPR and Preston from the Championship alone being linked with the player. It’s also believed that Hibernian is showing some interest.

Our Vital Editor for the Crewe site, Will Holyoak writes the following about the player:

‘Jones has had a disappointing season in front of goal, scoring just 4 goals, though he has played on the left of midfield in recent months. However, his electric pace and clever movement guarantee that Jonah will get chances when played up front. Despite the poor goal return, Jonah's season hasn't been a total disappointment, having bagged 12 assists - the 2nd highest in the Championship.’

Will also writes the following about the various transfer speculations and negotiations:

‘29-year old Jones has been subject of speculation for some time now, with Stoke rumoured to have offered him a two-year deal on £3k a week. Meanwhile, Preston boss Billy Davies has announced his interest in the striker, 'Jones is a player we admire and like and we have been making a lot of phone calls concerning him.' Meanwhile, QPR have also admitted that they 'spoke to Crewe about the possibility of signing Steve Jones' in the January transfer window, whilst Burnley have also been credited with an interest in the striker. As no fee would be payable for Jones, Cardiff boss Dave Jones reportedly sees Jones as an ideal summer signing to provide more competition for places up front.’

The omens seem to be good for the Clarets that we might soon have another striker although being 95% sure is not enough for a club that has previously announced we have signed players only to find out we haven’t! Anybody remember Richard Keogh?

Lets hope we shall soon know for definite one way or the other

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