If Freddie Sears is right — he believes he is a better player now than when he was given his Premier League chance as a teenager at West Ham — Town could have landed a real bargain.
Hornchurch-born Sears, 25, was in the Hammers’ first team at the age of 18. He clocked up a total of 46 league appearances, 16 of them in the starting line-up, and scored twice, including the goal pictured above on his debut in a 2-1 victory over Blackburn in March 2008.
He moved out on loan to Crystal Palace, Coventry and Scunthorpe before joining Colchester, initially on loan, in 2012.
Asked how he felt his game had improved since first bursting on to the scene, Sears replied: "I feel a lot stronger as a player and I suppose that comes with age.
"I’m also a lot more confident and that has come with building up my experience. I’ve worked hard at my game and always put in extra shifts to try to improve. It has all added up to make me a better all-round player.
"I’ve also worked with a lot of good people, both managers and coaches, and they have all helped me in some way.
"Tony Carr at West Ham was a really big influence on me when I was younger, from 16 to 18, and I’ll always be grateful to him for what he did for me. I’ve got on with all my managers and learned different things from all of them.
"I had been at West Ham since I was 10 or 11 and it was a good education at their academy. It was a long journey but I look back on it as a good, solid upbringing.
"I learned a lot and got into the first team at a young age, but sometimes you have to move on in football and I did that. Now I’m ready for the next chapter of my career with Ipswich.”
Sears revealed that his initiation took the form of a rendition of the Beatles’ classic, Twist and Shout, which he belted out at the team’s hotel ahead of the game that marked his debut, the 3-1 victory at Millwall on Saturday.
He laughed: "I had to sing a song for the lads on Friday night, which wasn’t too good but it had to be done. I went for Twist and Shout and I was glad when it was over and done. I felt a lot more relaxed having done it than I was in the build-up.”
Having overcome that particular ordeal, Sears’ priority now is to contribute as much as possible to Town’s promotion challenge, even if it means trying to win a place in Mick McCarthy’s starting line-up ahead of three more experienced players.
He added: "Everyone knows the quality of guys like Daryl Murphy and David McGoldrick. I’ve only been just along the road at Colchester so I was fully aware that Murph is the Championship’s leading scorer and I think everyone knows how good McGoldrick is. There’s Noel Hunt as well and he not only played at Millwall but also scored twice.
"I’ll benefit from being here alongside players like that and hopefully I’ll be challenging for a place.
"I think I can give something a bit different to the team and it’s down to me to make the manager think when he is picking it. He’s already said he sees me as a different option and wants to use me in a certain way.
"I can play in a few positions and I’ll play anywhere the gaffer asks me to play. It’s been good to work with him so far and with Mick McCarthy being such a big name in management, as soon as I heard he was interested it was a no-brainer and I was keen to get down here as quickly as possible.
"I’ve only been here a few days but it feels as if it’s a lot longer than that. I’m enjoying it, not just working with Mick but also TC.
"I’ve only had one or two of the special sessions TC puts on for the strikers and I can see I’m going to improve under him. He’s very enthusiastic and I can see why the boys talk so highly of him.”