Chris Lakey The search goes on for Glenn Roeder after his hopes of bringing in another new face in time for today's game against Leicester were dashed.City boss Roeder - who allowed Ian Murray to leave the club - had been waiting on a 2pm phone call after a transfer target had requested 24 hours to “sleep on” City's offer to move to Norfolk on a loan deal.

Chris Lakey

The search goes on for Glenn Roeder after his hopes of bringing in another new face in time for today's game against Leicester were dashed.

City boss Roeder - who allowed Ian Murray to leave the club - had been waiting on a 2pm phone call after a transfer target had requested 24 hours to “sleep on” City's offer to move to Norfolk on a loan deal.

But no deal could be concluded and although the deal could still go ahead after the weekend, Roeder, who had hoped to have two new faces for the weekend, ended up with none.

“With one it is just no movement, but we haven't gone away,” he said. “The other one we could well have this afternoon, but when I spoke to the player yesterday, with the club's permission, he just wanted to have 24 hours to sleep on it. Why I don't know, but he is a very talented player, that is all I am prepared to say at the moment.”

One of the two un-named targets is widely rumoured to be Birmingham defender Martin Taylor. However, that move could well be reliant on other ins and outs at St Andrews, where manager Alex McLeish has stated that Taylor has no future - at least not after he has been able to bring in his own transfer targets. Taylor has been deputising for Liam Ridgewell and Rafael Schmitz, while McLeish has been given permission to talk to Aston Villa defender Gary Cahill - the outcome of which could have a bearing on his future.

Roeder's player search includes the top end of League One - with Roeder giving out some very clear reminders as to why his incoming staff have all come from the Premiership.

“We look at games in the lower divisions - again there are not an awful lot of players that could make the step up and make a valued contribution to us,” he said.

“I could sign what I would consider poor players for this club every day of the week, but there isn't any point in that. It makes back page news for one night and then when the supporters see them play it makes the other kind of news you don't want.

“We have looked at a few players in the lower divisions but they would be permanent r moves, more summer time. Again, they are at clubs that could possibly go up so they are not going to want to be selling their best players and generally speaking they can quite easily hold on to their best players until the summer and when the summer comes with amount of money if they don't achieve promotion they have to sell.

“There are a couple of players in Division One that we particularly like, but there is nothing doing. Both clubs are in a position to be promoted so we just have to sit tight on that one and wait to the summer.”

Murray's departure had been simply a matter of time and takes the number of players going through the exit door this month alone to six.

The 26-year-old's contract was ended, allowing him to return to his former club Hibernian on a short-term contract to the end of the season.

Murray joined City in the summer on a free transfer from Rangers, but he got off to a poor start, mainly due to being played while he was ill. He lasted just 45 minutes of the Carling Cup tie at Rochdale, after which then manager Peter Grant admitted it had been a mistake to play him.

The player's health problems continued, but while he featured again under Grant and caretaker boss Jim Duffy, he played just once for Roeder, in the now infamous 3-0 defeat at Plymouth.

After that, his only appearances were for the reserves - by which time his future was clearly not at Carrow Road.