Ipswich Town target Andreas Jakobsson today turned down the chance of a £1m move to Portman Road.

The Helsingborgs defender - part of Sweden's Euro 2000 qualifying squad - had been in negotiations with boss George Burley but decided against the move.

Jakobsson's club are chasing the Swedish Premier League championship and his wife is also expecting the birth of their child.

It will be a crushing blow to Burley, who is desperate to sign a central defender before Saturday's crucial opener against Nottingham Forest.

He has already put in a bid for another, as yet unnamed, player but Blues fans will be concerned about the club's lack of summer transfer activity.

They have seen two key players leave - Kieron Dyer to Newcastle in a £6m deal and Bobby Petta to Scottish giants Glasgow Celtic - within the last month.

Skipper Matt Holland is backing the club's transfer policy and is urging supporters to be patient while Burley rebuilds the team.

Holland, 25, said: "We lost three players over the summer but brought in Jermaine Wright.

"It's clear we need to strengthen the squad because any team who loses the calibre of player like Kieron and Bobby will expect to suffer in some way."

But he added: "It's not wise to buy players who are not going to fit into the team so there is no need to rush things."

"The manager wants to spend whatever money he has available on the right player for Ipswich Town."

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