Manager Mick McCarthy has played down suggestions that he’ll make a move for former loanee Guirane N’Daw now that the midfielder’s court case is over. N’Daw, who spent the whole of 2012/13 with the Blues, is currently a free agent having left parent club St Etienne at the end of June.
McCarthy says he won't be making a move as he has all the senior players he is after: "No, because I’ve got my players, I’ve got 20 [outfield] players and that’s what we’re doing.
"It’s not a question of whether someone else is available and we’ll go and have a look at him. We’ve got 20 players, that’s our squad and that’s what we’re running with.”
Is that squad big enough to cover all eventualities? "We’ll see. I’m hoping that a Jack Marriott, Tommy Winter or someone can come through and do something out of the squad, Amir Berkane, one of the youngsters. Michael Crowe the goalkeeper, can back us up if needs be.
"If we had four or five injuries on the spin, I’d be saying not, but if we get that we can take some loan players if need be. But we’ll not be going out signing anybody else.”
Like a number of other bosses, McCarthy would favour the transfer window closing before the season starts: "It would be a lot easier for all the managers if the business was done and we could all crack on with it.”
However, he doesn’t feel that the ongoing business interferes with bosses’ day to day activities: "It’s not a distraction. It surprises me that people think that managers get that distracted, it’s work. You’re doing your job.
"I always find it exciting if I’m trying to sign players. There’s a buzz about that, someone else is coming in, 'Am I going to get him to sign? Is he in? Does he pass his medical?’.
"All those things are part of my job and it’s exciting, so it doesn’t distract me at all. Others I can’t speak about, but I’d like to think that they’re the same as me.”