Town stalwart Luke Chambers has echoed the views of new boss Paul Hurst that new signings are still required ahead of the new season’s opening-day visit of Blackburn on Saturday week.

The defender said: “It doesn’t even need to be said, does it? I think you look at the squad and we have some very good young players but we are still very, very thin on the ground.

“We probably need two centre-halves and I don’t really want to go through the list. I think it’s obvious where we need players.

“Lads have been linked with moves away and there’s always going to be uncertainty around a football club when a new manager takes over.

“He will want to make his own decisions on players, which will probably take longer than to the end of this transfer window.

“We’re not looking to lose anyone, we’re certainly looking to bring players in, but that’s for Marcus [Evans] and the gaffer to sort out themselves.”

Chambers was asked if young central defender Luke Woolfenden, who spent a large part of last season on loan at non-league Bromley and has featured regularly in pre-season games, is ready for a run of games in the Championship, with Town facing Rotherham, Aston Villa and Derby after the first-day test provided by Blackburn.

He said: “I don’t see why not because he’s done very well pre-season. He’s a very laid back character, whether it’s because he’s laid back or he’s not got much between the ears! When he’s on the pitch he’s very good but I had to give him a little bit of a dig the other night at MK Dons.

“It was because he was playing so well that it almost became too easy for him and he started to do things he doesn’t need to do.

“I think it will have helped him playing alongside me for the last few weeks and if he has to play against Blackburn, Rotherham and others I will have absolutely no problem with that whatsoever.”

On-loan Chelsea defender or midfielder Trevoh Chalobah will be available for Saturday’s clash with West Ham after he captained the England squad in the European U19 Championship hosted by Finland.

Weakened by the absence of a plethora of players, Paul Simpson’s men were unable to qualify from their group to reach the semi-finals.

Chambers turned his attention to Chalobah and added: “My early impressions? In the role that I think the manager wants to play him, I look forward to everyone making their own decisions.

“He looks some player, though. I’m not the gaffer and I don’t want to give away any inside information but it will be interesting to see.

“Hopefully he will be involved on Saturday — he’s back with us on Friday so I can’t see why he wouldn’t be. It will be nice to have him back, although we didn’t envisage having him back this early, nor did he envisage it himself.

“He made a good impression the first two weeks he was with us and it was a shame to lose him over the last couple of weeks.

“He brings a lot of quality, a lot of personality and he settled into the group really well. I’ve made no secret of how it’s an easy group to settle into but I feel the new players have definitely made an impact. They are trying to change the mindset that has probably needed changing for a while.”

Finally, Chambers addressed the possibility of Town losing the services of last season’s 16-goal leading scorer, Martyn Waghorn, whose future is up in the air as Derby and Middlesbrough head a queue of several Championship clubs eager to sign him ahead of next week’s opening day of the new season.

Asked if the club can afford to lose Waghorn, who only arrived in August last year from Rangers, he said: “It depends what you mean by afford. If we’re paying 200 grand for him and potentially selling him for £8 million that’s the owner’s business and I’m sure he’s going to look at that.

“On the field-wise, no, I don’t think we should be looking to sell anyone like that.

“If we’re looking to achieve what we want to achieve, and go somewhere, you’ve got to keep your best players and it’s no secret that he’s one of our best players.

“But in football heads can be turned pretty easily and there’s probably a story behind it all anyway. For me, personally, I don’t want him to leave and I hope he doesn’t. But on the flip side of the coin the money we’re talking about might force his mind to be changed.

“I don’t really want to talk to him about it and even if I did, and he said something to me, it would be completely in confidence.

“He’s become a good friend of mine over the last year and he’s the sort of guy you want in the team and around your football club. Even if he does want to leave I don’t want to hear it.”

Despite a new wind of confidence blowing through Portman Road the bookmakers remain unconvinced, with most seeing Town among the favourites to finish in the bottom three.

Chambers hit back: “It’s not the first time but when do the bookies ever get it right in the Championship? Even if we were allowed to bet on accumulators, or matches, I’m pretty sure there haven’t been too many people getting results right in the Championship.

“I don’t care what bookies — or anyone else — says. We know what’s going on within the squad and with the new staff. We will leave no stone unturned to be the best we can be and potentially cause a few heads to turn a little bit.

“It looks pretty open, although we always say that. It will be a shock to the teams coming down, having seen what happened to the likes of Sunderland.

“It shows you what can happen to a club over the space of nine months. Also, Reading were flying high last year, everyone was giving them plaudits and Jaap Stam was being hailed as the best manager we’d seen in a long time.

“The next season he’s been sacked and they’re fighting relegation. It just shows you how it’s such fine margins in the Championship.

“With the approach we’ll be having we’ll be giving ourselves the best chance to be consistent and, like I say, cause a few upsets and be where we think we can be.

“We have to hit the ground running. We’re playing two of the teams who have come up from League One in our opening two games.

“They are going to be full of excitement and confidence, so those first two games are vital for us.

“They are both games we should be looking to win — no other mindset. Home to Blackburn, win that game. Away to Rotherham, win that game.

“We shouldn’t be looking at anything else past that. It is a new start, a new era like I’ve seen the club promoting.

“It feels like people are behind us and if we can get that atmosphere, like I’ve experienced in the past when we’ve been doing well, Portman Road can be a difficult place for other teams to come. We’ll be doing everything we can to make it as difficult as possible for them.”

Photo: TWTD

itsonlyme added 18:02 - Jul 26 Here here captain, let's make PR rock this season! I know the fans will get right behind the team and give their all. It just needed a change of style.
10

mib added 18:08 - Jul 26 Totally agree with your assessment of playing staff Chambers, its on the playing field that it counts and we cannot afford to lose good players. I think the majority of fans wat to see a good Ipsw3ich team on the field and not look at bank balances.
3

stewartm added 19:07 - Jul 26 If there are no signings come the start of the season then sack who ever brings in the signings....
-2

Len_Brennan added 20:45 - Jul 26 Seems clear that Chalobah will not be used as a centre half (bar in emergencies - which may well be sooner than we think) & therefore is likely to be a ball carrying defensive midfielder. Makes sense as he certainly has the ability & physique to star in that role. 2 additional centre halves urgently needed still.
1

LondonBlue99 added 20:47 - Jul 26 Curtis Tilt is signed
1

Terra_Farma added 20:57 - Jul 26 A really level headed perspective from Luke. I'm chuffed that he remains captain.
3

Gooders7592 added 10:29 - Jul 27 Captain, Leader, Legend.
1

Blogs 297 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls