Mick McCarthy says Town’s approach to the transfer market won’t change, despite the sale of Aaron Cresswell to West Ham. The Town boss doesn’t expect to spend money on fees but will continue to look at the Bosman and loan markets which have served him so well since he took over at Portman Road at the start of November 2012.
Cresswell joined the Hammers earlier this month for a guaranteed £3.75 million, paid as is usually the case in instalments, rising to a possible £7 million after Premier League appearance milestones are hit.
"We’ve replaced Cressy with a free transfer,” McCarthy said. "We’ll not be going out and buying anybody, I don’t think we’ll be paying money for anybody, we’ll be doing the same - Bosmans and loan deals and see whether we can work the oracle again doing that. We’ve done it so far. But what we have got is funds for wages.
"The game is bonkers when you consider that David McGoldrick was a free transfer 12 months ago and Ross McCormack has just gone for £11 million [from Leeds to Fulham]. The game is completely and utterly bonkers. That sums up sometimes how crazy it is.”
Despite not having that sort of cash to splash, McCarthy believes that the kind of spirit and togetherness that has become the hallmark of his Town squad can go a long way towards addressing the financial imbalance.
"Without a doubt it can,” he insisted. "Although Burnley spent a few quid before the end of the season, they had a good side and stuck with it all the way through and didn’t spend fortunes.
"I’m not suggesting for a moment that Ross McCormack isn’t a good player, but consider that David McGoldrick was a free 12 months ago and he was on 16 goals when he got injured.
"We’ll be competing against teams with a lot of money. Norwich will have it, Fulham will have it, Cardiff will have it, Wigan probably. I’m not so sure about Reading because they’ve got their own troubles. Middlesbrough seem to be splashing a few quid, Derby as well.
"We’ll be competing with them again, it just makes the competition a bit tougher, but all the better when you beat them.”
He added: "It does create a good team spirit when they’re all more or less on an equal footing, there are no big stars coming in, there’s nobody coming in and getting a huge wage.
"We’ve had lads who have come in, Hunty came in last year, Christophe Berra came in, and they all added to it, they were just great lads. And I think it’s nice when they’ve all got a point to prove as well.”
McCarthy says he has no complaints regarding the Financial Fair Play constraints within which he has to work or owner Marcus Evans’s contribution.
"As far as I’m aware he’s got his leg into the club for £82 million and puts £5 million in a year just to keep it going. If somebody’s telling me he’s not putting any money in they’re being slightly disingenuous.
"I do understand [the financial situation] and I’m cool with it, it’s a challenge but it always is, whether you’ve got tons of money or no money or a bit of money, it’s a challenge to do well in the league.”
The 55-year-old admits that he relishes being the underdog: "Even as a player I enjoyed beating the odds and it seems that’s my role as a manager now. I’ve enjoyed doing it in the past and I’ll continue to enjoy doing it.”
Would he like to be spoilt and have large transfer war chest at his disposal? "That would be nice, but maybe I wouldn’t know what to do with it.
"I do all right with the lads I get. I’m always one that makes the best of what I’ve got or at least attempts to make the best of what I’ve got. I don’t whinge about it, I’ve got a job to do.”