Brewster rejects swap deal for Cowie

Published on Thursday 8 January 2009 22:27

INVERNESS manager Craig Brewster has revealed he rejected a swap deal that would have seen midfielder Don Cowie move to Motherwell.

Brewster claims Motherwell manager Mark McGhee contacted him about Cowie, who is free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with other clubs as his Caley contract expires in the summer.

"Mark McGhee spoke to me looking for a swap and I said absolutely not," said Brewster.

Cowie, 24, has already rejected an initial offer of a contract extension from Inverness, but has not ruled out staying at the club he joined from Ross County 18 months ago.

Inverness supporters have voiced concerns Cowie would be the next of the club's top players to leave. Fellow- midfielder Ian Black has agreed to join Hearts at the end of the season once his current contract expires.

As well as trying to keep hold of key men, Brewster has been promised funds to strengthen his squad as they bid to avoid relegation.

The club announced yesterday they had reached a deal with Hibernian to take full-back Thierry Gathuessi and midfielder Filipe Morais on loan until the end of the season. The pair will join Caley Thistle subject to medicals this evening.

A statement on Inverness Caley's official website, www.ictfc.co.uk, read: "Both players have indicated their willingness to move north."

Morais, 23, joined Hibs from Chelsea in 2003 and has been capped by Portugal at under-21 level.

Gathuessi, 26, who has been capped once by Cameroon, played for Montpellier, Cannes and Sete before joining Hibs in July 2007.

As well as the two loan signings, Brewster revealed he has taken two Latvian players on trial. Vladimir Kolesnicenko, an attacking midfielder from Latvian champions Ventspils, yesterday joined club-mate Pavels Mihadjuks, a centre-half, who has been training with Inverness since Monday. Both players are 28.

Meanwhile, Inverness Caledonian Supporters' Trust this week held a special meeting following concerns about the direction of the club, bottom of the SPL following six straight defeats. But the 60-strong attendance were split about whether a change of manager was necessary.

The trust demanded, within a week, a statement from the board about their strategy and for better communication with supporters in the future.