Ipswich Town midfielder Lewis Travis has admitted having other options on the table amid links to Preston North End.
PNE decided not to get involved in the January transfer window, at least in terms of incomings.
After a strong summer window, we didn’t really have any issues with North End keeping it low-key in January.
We didn’t even see many rumours, but one player was reportedly wanted at Deepdale, only to instead end up at Ipswich Town.
The man in question is Lewis Travis, who left Blackburn Rovers for a loan move to Portman Road in January…
Lewis Travis on transfer interest
Travis was told that he could leave Blackburn despite serving as club captain.
Reports suggested that PNE and Millwall both wanted to sign Travis, but he picked a move to Ipswich.
A former Liverpool talent who was born in Whiston, Travis would certainly have fit in with the heavy Merseyside influence at Deepdale.
Travis picked Ipswich though and has started four league games for the Tractor Boys, coming off the bench twice.
The 26-year-old is essentially playing for his future in Suffolk and will be looking to prove to Kieran McKenna that he deserves a permanent deal.
Travis has now spoken to the East Anglian Daily Times and admitted that he did have other options on the table in January.
However, Travis felt that the other moves were ‘easier’ options because he probably would have played week in and week out.
Travis wanted the challenge of getting into a promotion-chasing Ipswich side, testing himself with a more ‘risky’ move.
“There were teams that I felt I could’ve joined who would’ve been an easier option, where I would’ve stepped in and played every single game,” said Travis. “At Ipswich, I knew it’d be tougher to get in and get games, but the reward could be massive.”
“There’s no point in taking the easy option in life. I’m still young and this is a fantastic opportunity, a bit of a risk, so I’m really glad I took it,” he added.
It’s unclear whether Travis is referring to PNE here, especially as there is decent competition for places in North End’s midfield.
Ben Whiteman, Ryan Ledson, Alan Browne and Ali McCann are all in the mix, so Travis would have still faced a battle to play regularly.
Ipswich’s push for promotion may have swung it, but we would hope that North End are still keeping tabs on Travis.
A battling midfield player with plenty of Championship experience, Travis may be a name to keep tabs on for the summer window.