Preston intend to sell St Ledger

SOCCER:PRESTON MANAGER Phil Brown made it clear yesterday that Republic of Ireland defender Seán St Ledger will be sold over the summer as the club looks to cut its wage bill in the wake of relegation to League One.

The 26-year-old is just one of a number of the club’s higher earners who will be moved on according to the manager with Andy Lonergan, the well-regarded goalkeeper who has previously expressed an interest in playing for Ireland, also set to go.

“There has been a lot of talking done this week,” said Brown. “With Andrew Lonergan, maybe it is time for him to move on and have a fresh challenge. Andrew is on a fairly big contract at Preston – it’s not just a Championship contract, it’s a Premier League one. He might be one we have to consider offers for.

“It’s the same for Seán St Ledger – his contract is a fairly rich one for the Championship. In an ideal world – in the Championship – I would want to keep them. But it’s a case of needs must. I’ve got a good idea what a League One wage bill looks like. We have to cut our cloth accordingly – that is the reality of the situation.”

St Ledger has previously been a target for Ipswich Town and it is believed Paul Jewell is still interested in adding the defender to what will be a significantly reshaped squad for next season.

Aston Villa travelled to London yesterday ahead of the club’s visit to Arsenal without defender Ciarán Clark despite the defender taking part in the squad’s final training session prior to departure. Clark picked up a hamstring problem a couple of weeks ago in training and caretaker manager Gary McAllister confirmed the player is still not completely recovered although he does appear to be on course to be available for Ireland’s games later this month.

Leon Best, as it happens, might just earn a late call-up too after having been left out of Giovanni Trapattoni’s squad last week because of an ankle injury.

The striker is not part of Newcastle United’s panel for this weekend’s game at Chelsea but he is very close to being match fit again, according to assistant manager John Carver. “Leon’s progressing nicely, and he’s worked hard to come back,” he said. “Whether he plays again this season, we’ll wait and see. We’re at the stage of the season where it has to be evaluated whether it’s worth any of them taking the risk.”