JOHN Aloisi has forced his way back into contention for a first-team place at Coventry -- which could scupper any hopes of a possible move to Turf Moor.

According to reports in the Midlands the City striker has been the subject of interest from Burnley as manager Stan Ternent looks for added goalpower.

But any potential deal could be delayed by Coventry's own striking problems.

The Sky Blues are desperate for goals to ease their relegation worries and after their on-off move for Wimbledon striker John Hartson collapsed again yesterday Aloisi was included in Gordon Strachan's squad to face Arsenal at Highfield Road this afternoon.

Strachan confirmed that the former Portsmouth front man had put himself back into the frame with some impressive work on the training ground and could come into contention to face the Gunners.

The City boss said: "He has been fantastic in training, but we have not seen it materialise on the football field. He is hungry again and ready to go.

"He is our most intelligent striker but he has to score goals to get a place in the team.

"He is not a runner as such, who can get behind the defence. But he is clever enough to think about getting behind defences. He is not far away." While Ternent continues to scour the market he has backed the retention of a transfer system to prevent some of the smaller clubs in the League from going out of business.

The powers-that-be in football are currently at loggerheads with the European law-makers over the retention of binding contracts and transfer fees.

And Ternent insists those elements are imperative for the future of the game.

"We need a transfer system. If you don't have one then a lot of clubs will go to the wall," he said.

"As it stands now we have to be self-sufficient. We don't get a share of away gates, you get so much money per season from television depending on what division you're in.

"If we were going to sell players -- say like Crewe -- they sell them to the big leagues, draw a million quid here, a million quid there and it subsidises their lack of income so they can be competitive in that way.

"Every club needs to have another income and the transfer income is very important, although at Burnley I haven't really sold anyone for big bucks because I'm trying to build a team. I could have done but I haven't."

Complete freedom of movement for players without any compensation for clubs might benefit the top performers, but not many other players or their clubs, according to Ternent.

The Clarets boss added: "If they say there are no transfer fees at all then it will be a free-for-all.

"The players' idea of no transfer fee is that for the very good players with no transfer fee you've got to pay them more dough.

"What happens then is that the better players get all the money and the players in the lower leagues will be going part-time and a lot of clubs will be going out of business. So it's important to clubs that there is a transfer system."

Players over the age of 24 can already move without a fee thanks to the introduction of the Bosman ruling. But that's only when they are out of contract and while Ternent believes the current system still favours the player, he believes it's a reasonable one.

He said: "It's fine. You sign a player who is well within his rights to serve whatever term of contract he has then he's a free agent.

"If he leaves in the middle of the contract at his or the club's request then I feel that the compensation that the clubs agree between themselves is fine."