Tyrone Mings has dismissed speculation linking him with an imminent move to the Premier League — and in particular Arsenal — by admitting he still expects to be an Ipswich player after the closure of the January transfer window.
The 21-year-old defender has been the subject of almost unrelenting gossip since Town rejected a £3.5 million bid for him from Crystal Palace in August and he is now rumoured to be worth almost three times as much, with the Gunners said to be firm favourites for his signature.
But when asked if he was confident of remaining at Portman Road from February onwards Mings said: "Absolutely. I don’t see any reason why anything else should happen. You can see how well we are doing here at the moment as a squad and the manager hasn’t said anything to me about a move.
"I don’t think there’s anything to say because he’s not looking to lose anyone and I’m not looking to go anywhere.
"No one has said anything about promotion — it’s still a long way off at the moment — but we are all full of confidence because we have got ourselves into a great position at the half-way stage.
"But any talk about players leaving or promotion is on the back burner at the moment. The most important thing for me is to be playing games and that’s what I am doing at Ipswich. Okay, I’ve had three games out but that’s what I am trying to do, to further my development.
"How do I respond to news that Arsenal are interested in signing me? It’s very easy, really. I just keep doing what I’m doing. All that speculation has come from me playing well for Ipswich after getting an opportunity here, so that’s all I can continue to do. I don’t know if it would turn my head. If that day comes we’ll see but I doubt it.”
Mings is not short of advice, with father Adie a member of Jose Mourinho’s scouting staff at Chelsea, and he added: "My dad tells me the best thing for me right now is to be playing regularly. I’m very happy at Ipswich and that’s where my focus is.
"Playing for Ipswich in the Premier League really would be a dream come true and anything beyond that is a long way into the future.”
Mings Senior has played a significant part in his son’s progress since being released by Southampton back in 2009, although Tyrone refused to play for him when he was manager of non-league Chippenham and only moved there after Adie had been recruited by the Premier League giants.
He recalled: "Dad was Chippenham manager and then he got the job at Chelsea. It was quite early in the season, around October, and when he left I joined Chippenham. I was living there but I wouldn’t join them while my dad was manager. I carried on playing for Yate until he left to join Chelsea.
"The new manager came in at Chippenham and asked me to join so I agreed. When my dad went to Chelsea he had a bit more of an educated opinion on what it takes to get back into the game and the players who were playing at the level I wanted to play at. He just told me that if I kept going there would be a break.”
That break came when ex-Town defender and youth coach Russell Osman recommended Mings to Ipswich, having spotted him playing alongside his own son, Toby, for Chippenham.
Mings added: "Obviously, Russell got me the opportunity to come up here to Ipswich and the rest is history, as they say.
"I speak to my dad almost every day. He rings to see how things are going and whether I need anything. We meet up quite often as well and we’ll meet up after the Southampton game on Sunday.
"He’s a good person to have about because he knows and enjoys the game, and any advice he gives me is always welcome and beneficial.”