June 12 2003

Steve Kember

Steve Kember is ready to target former Palace striker Neil Shipperley in his search for a front line striker, writes Joseph O’Shea.

With Dele Adebola Coventry-bound and Ade Akinbiyi not in his plans for next season, the new Palace boss has set his sights on signing a new “number nine”, and would like to bring the 28-year-old Wimbledon striker back to his former club.

Shipperley scored 21 goals in 57 starts for Palace during a two years spell at Selhurst Park, until the club’s financial difficulties forced them to accept Nottingham Forest’s £1million in September 1998.

Now that the Dons have slipped into administration, Kember is eyeing a possible cut price deal for the striker who scored 24 goals last term.

Kember said: “What we need is that one that is going to be up there, that you can find in the air, who will hold the ball up for you, and then bring the other strikers into play.

“I have always been a great admirer of Ships and he left the club because he had to, because of the financial situation at the time. I have always thought that he is the ‘number nine’.

“But there has been no official approach made for Neil Shipperley at all.” Rotherham’s 16-goal striker Alan Lee has also emerged as a target and manager Ronnie Moore last week said that Palace were “sniffing around”.

Kember confirmed an enquiry had been made, but Rotherham are asking £1million because Lee has a year left on his contract .

Kember said: “You make enquiries about players to test the water and see if they are available. But I would think he will be a fairly substantial fee at this present time which might rule us out of the equation.”

West Bromwich Albion’s Daniel Dichio and Middlesbrough’s Noel Whelan have also been linked, but Kember admits his wish-list will change as the summer progresses.

He said: “We have had a list of players from before the season ended when Trevor was here. You make enquiries about them and they get taken off the list or you add other players in that become available.”

Kember is also targeting a central midfielder and will try and capitalise on the large number of players who have been released by their clubs later in the summer.

He said: “Unless there is someone going out splashing a lot of money, like the big clubs can do, I think that business will start in earnest in the last week of June, early July, when you come back.”