Keane fumes at want-away Walters

ROY KEANE his hit out at skipper Jon Walters for the way he is pursuing his Ipswich exit.

The £3 million-rated Republic of Ireland B international has been targeted by Stoke City and at least one other Premier League club.

Keane claims Walters’s head has been turned by those offering him the opportunity to play in the top flight: “He said he is aware of the interest and he wants to go, he ‘wanted out of Ipswich’, they were his exact words.

“He’s under contract here but we all live in the real world. Are players getting tapped up? Absolutely, 100%. Can I prove it? Obviously not, unless I get agents’ and managers’ phone bills. It’s the way of the world.

“Jon’s had his head turned and he’s told me in the last few weeks that he wants to go, and good luck to him.”

Walters joined Ipswich from then-League Two Chester in January 2007 for a fee of £100,000 plus extras on appearances and promotion.

Keane says he’s not condemning Walters for wanting to move on but for the manner in which he has gone about it: “I’m not criticising the fact that he wants to leave, players will come and go, but there’s a way of doing it.

“He’d have been better waiting until the club had accepted an offer for him, then the player can decide. Players are trying to dictate transfer fees, when they should go and where they should go. Players should start reading the contracts they’ve signed.”

Meanwhile, Keane has completed the signing of 19-year-old Spurs left midfielder Andros Townsend on a season-long loan and is looking at adding another loanee to his squad before Saturday’s first home game of the season against Burnley. Ipswich have also had a £750,000 offer for Wigan striker Jason Scotland accepted and are continuing to talk to Cardiff City about striker Ross McCormack.