Bristol City boss Sean O’Driscoll says he was disappointed to lose new Blues signing Paul Anderson, who moved to Portman Road in a swap deal which saw Jay Emmanuel-Thomas move the other way earlier in the week.
O'Driscoll told the Bristol Post: "We were obviously extremely sorry to see Paul leave the club, but he goes to Ipswich with our best wishes as he was a credit to himself when he came into the team in the second half of the season.
"His attitude was always first class and he was a consistent, reliable performer in difficult circumstances.
"In an ideal world, you would like to keep Paul and add Jay to the squad, but understandably he wants to play at the highest level possible and, financially, a swap deal with Jay ultimately worked for both clubs.”
O’Driscoll is planning to play Emmanuel-Thomas in a role behind the main striker at Ashton Gate, having previously worked with the 22-year-old during a loan spell at Doncaster Rovers: "Jay is a very technically gifted individual and the type of player who can make something out of nothing.
"He is someone who in the final third can create chances and score goals, and although attention is often drawn to his laid-back style you have to let Jay do the things he does well, which can win you games.
"Jay knows there are areas of his game he can improve, but you also have to give him a freedom to hurt teams, which I've seen him do many times with devastating effect. That is how we will be judging Jay."
Photo: ITFC