Town boss Mick McCarthy says he’s delighted to have added Danish international left-back and long throw expert Jonas Knudsen to his squad and paid tribute to the role his backroom staff including assistant Terry Connor played in his recruitment.

The 22-year-old joined the Blues on a three-year deal with an option for a further season on Friday from his hometown club Esbjerg fB and played the second half of today's 1-1 pre-season friendly draw with FC Utrecht.

“Delighted,” McCarthy said. “He looks a really good player, he’s a good size, he can defend, he can handle the ball, he can handle the ball with his hands as well because he’s got a great long throw which is a real weapon! I’m really pleased with him."

The Town boss outlined how the deal came about: “We were alerted to him, we knew he had a buy-out clause in his contract. Great by the lads, [director of football] Dave Bowman, [head of performance analysis] Jordan Miles and TC.

“They looked at him on the Internet and said to me, ‘Gaffer, there’s this left-back, he’s a Danish U21 international, he’s been in the tournament in the summer, he’s had a couple of [full] caps’.

“So I looked him then and quite clearly he was worth looking at, so TC went to see him [in action in Denmark] and then we were both going back to see him the weekend before last, I think.

“But we couldn’t because there was only one flight. So I said to TC, ‘There’s no point having each of us seeing him once, go back and see him and see if you see what we all saw on the DVDs or on the Wyscout system’.

“And he did, and it was a much better game. He wasn’t convinced after the first game. I said ‘If you go and see him and you tell me he’s everything we think he is and you’re happy with him, we’ll do it.

“And we did. Fair play, [owner] Marcus [Evans] has cracked on and got it done. We’ve had a bit of success with left-backs, let’s hope we’ve got another one!”

The fee is understood to be €500,000 (£350,000), the largest McCarthy has paid since taking over at Town.

“By a good stretch!” he laughed. “I think it’s just getting the right ones. That still remains the same. Everybody thinks we’ve got that £8 million and we’re just going to throw that [about].

“We’re not, that’s just not going to happen. If we’re selective, and based on what I’ve seen today, that’s being selective and that’s a good one.

“Brett Pitman certainly looks a good one. We know Ryan Fraser, I think people probably knew him more, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles is worth every single penny of what we paid to Arsenal to loan him.”

Photo: ITFC

Photo: Action Images

tractordownsouth added 18:58 - Aug 1 " Ainsley Maitland Niles is worth every penny we gave Arsenal to loan him" Proof that Evans is investing, in wages, transfers and loan fees. Hopefully another signing soon.
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StowTractorBoy added 19:04 - Aug 1 This is the best shape our Club has been in for years and MM has to take great credit for bringing his own men to scout and of course bringing TC with him. In my opinion we still need a couple more players to complete the squad and I am sure they will arrive. Its going to be a tough ride over the next 9 months as the Championships get more competitive each year but we are in good hands so fingers crossed.

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bluefeast added 19:06 - Aug 1 Jonas Knudsen looked fantastic this afternoon , composed positive ,couple of great shots ,good selection of passes. Good pace and strength ,he looks like the best left back in the championship. Looks like a premiership player to me.
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ChestnutSe added 19:30 - Aug 1 Blue feast, I agree. He looked the part and is going to be a big favourite pretty quickly I think
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EssexTractor added 19:55 - Aug 1 Jonas Knudsen, clever quick very decent with his left foot, not put under any defensive pressure, but he looks like a proper player, a proper full back. His throw ins will become this years" itfc cult feature"!. Whoever found him, well done. Giles Coke just a midfield sitter? Not quite sure. Look as though he has played before but is he better than we have had.? Larsen Toure, seen too little of him today and at Colchester, maybe MM does see something there as impact player. But in fairness had little time to blend. Ryan Frazer looked so good against Chambers last year. He has skill and can weave and cross but he needs service. Someone needs to find how to play it to him..ahead to run on to, close to his feet.? He could be valuable but don't want him coming back too deep to usher it to back four. Hopefully with Knudsen here he will find the way forward. Ainsley Matland Niles has undoubted skill, where should he play? found himself on flank and inside today. He may find that competitive Championship football comes as a surprise to him with more ruggedness in midfield than he has been used to. Might need to ease in. Brett Pittman looks as though his best fitness days are behind him but he scores , he has scored oodles at Championship level before, can he do it again!? The remainder of last seasons look little different, not too much footballing out of the old back four but hopefully a smile maybe at the prospect of David MCGoldrick not recurring any injury and being able to demonstrate that he is " a class" above the greater majority of Championship forward players. Pre season games just a slight insight into what will follow, but the need for wholehearted team spirit is again uppermost in another difficult 46 game season.

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bluefeast added 20:36 - Aug 1 Great post EssexTractor , We look more of a unit than at many times last season. There will be highs and lows ,but without doubt we are building.
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harlingblue added 23:47 - Aug 1 This squad is shaping up far better than last year, at last there is pace. It might take a little while for a change of style and personel to bear fruit, and supporters may have to be patient. Our latest signing Knudsen really looks the business, while Coke and Toure could prove to be good additions, with Pitman and Frazer already proven players at this level. Emanuel could emerge this year, he looks like a man mountain with pace and with work on his defending skills could be our next right back....plus Didzy is starting to look the business.

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itfcsince1974 added 09:17 - Aug 2 McCarthy 'Delighted, he's a really good player.' Understatement or what. When news of him first broke I looked him up and was optimistically excited about the signing. Having watched him play yesterday I am salivating at the impact this guy is going to have on the championship. He appears to be made for the LB position and dare I say, I can see him rapidly proving to be a better player than both Mings and Cresswell. MM, TC = magicians. COYB.

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BlueandTruesince82 added 10:08 - Aug 2 ITFC left back production line kicks back in to gear. Better get scouting for a replacement for when we make 10 million on him
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Blandford added 10:48 - Aug 2 Haven't seen this guy play yet, but the reports and opinions of those that were at PR yesterday seem very positive. Can't help feeling that our best piece of business this summer was keeping hold of MM and his backroom staff. The summer additions seem to address the same weaknesses that many fans saw last season and the departures have been limited to squad players (apart from Tyrone). Hopefully there are a couple more signing this week that fill in the gaps. Looking forward to the season ahead and the promotion parties in May (I hope).

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jas0999 added 15:33 - Aug 2 Great signing. Now need two more quality signings.
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Beattiesballbag added 02:05 - Aug 3 Why all the praise for the back room staff for signing Knudsen? Didn't his agent inform them that he had a quality player available at a knock down price (that was the attraction) , all they did was check to see if he was as good as they had been told & part with the huge fee of £350000 ! It's not as if his scouts found a player that we ended up signing? Just for once they've been offered a quality player to look at! I wouldn't expect any money being spent on a midfield player of a similar quality, if that was in the pipeline I doubt he would have signed Coke & Toure. Unless maybe in the future (if we're lucky) Knudsens agent puts some more players our way .

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