Steve Whitton is set to sign Brighton midfielder Andy Arnott as part of his bid to pull Colchester United away from the relegation places.

Whitton said yesterday he was hoping to sign the 26-year-old powerfully-built former Manchester United loanee in time to play in Saturday's tough Second Division outing at Millwall.

Whitton said: "Arnott is a big, tough-tackling midfielder or centre-half, something I need at this club right now.

"Brighton manager Micky Adams says the player can come and join us, Andy wants to sign for us, and provided he impresses me in Brighton's reserve team match against Cambridge tomorrow, I will sign him in time for the Millwall match.

"The deal will only be for one month initially. Arnott will play six games for us in that time and the idea is we will sign him permanantly on a free transfer after that even though he still has a year-and-half to run on his current contract."

Whitton has acted swiftly in a bid to arrest the disastrous sequence of results that has seen the U's slump to one off the bottom of the Division Two table.

And the prospects of Southampton's former Sheffield Wednesday and England international striker David Hirst also joining the Layer Road fold on loan in time for Saturday's match are still very hopeful.

Whitton said: "I will be speaking to Saints manager David Jones again this week and if I can bring both David Hirst and Andy Arnott to the club in time for Saturday it will give us a tremendous boost."

A regular first teamer at Brighton until Adams's arrival as manager this season, Arnott has a wealth of Football League experience in the lower divisions with Gillingham, where he began his career as a trainee eight years ago, before moving on to Leyton Orient for £15,000 three years ago.

He then went to Fulham for £23,000 a year later and to Brighton for £20,000 midway through last season.

Arnott has more than 150 League appearances and 20 goals already under his belt.

U's striker Steve Germain, who suffered an ankle injury at Burnley on Saturday, only has a bad sprain. It had been feared the ankle was broken.

Colchester newcomer Andy Arnott, heading for Essex from Brighton

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