Town boss Mick McCarthy says he gave short shrift to an audacious loan offer for last season's 27-goal Championship top scorer Daryl Murphy, the subject of much transfer speculation this summer.
Middlesbrough are understood to have had a £4.5 million offer turned down, while Sheffield Wednesday were reported to have made bid last week and Norwich City are amongst a host of other clubs from the Championship and Premier League believed to be eyeing the former Sunderland, Celtic and Waterford man.
Quizzed on the offers the Blues may have received and rejected, McCarthy was keeping typically tightlipped following Saturday’s 6-0 friendly victory at Shelbourne.
"I’m not going to tell you anything,” he said. "Has there been any interest in Daryl? There’s been loads. I’ve even had one club ring me up and ask me if we’d loan him! Knobheads. That was outstanding.”
While McCarthy kept his counsel regarding the identity of the side making the somewhat ambitious enquiry, it's believed it was Sheffield Wednesday, who are looking to strengthen following their takeover earlier in the year.
He added: "I was asked, he said you can have a one word answer, which kind of stole my thunder because he knew what I’d have told him if he’d have given me two words with which to answer, so I had to think of something else sharp and witty, which I managed!
"It was somewhat ridiculous. Maybe they were winding me up, I don’t know. I don’t think they were.”
He says the interest in Murphy comes as no surprise: "No, why would it? He had an outstanding season, 27 goals and it was fantastic. I actually prefer it when there’s interest in my players because it means they’ve played well.
"I don’t want to lose them. I think we proved that last year when we turned down £3.5 million for Tyrone Mings and sold him this year for £8 million. That’s a different ball game.
"And the same with David McGoldrick [when Leicester offered £7 million] and I’m hoping it’s going to be the same with Daryl Murphy - that any interest can be staved off.”
McCarthy says it was no shock to hear that Murphy had played well for Ireland in their summer draws with England and Scotland.
"I’d be lying if I said I saw him play because I didn’t, I didn’t watch the games I was on holiday and I was at a wedding for the other game. I heard he played well which didn’t surprise me, I think he had an outstanding year.”
He says he can see why Murphy is currently being selected ahead of Premier League players such as Shane Long.
"It depends what type of player you want playing,” he added. "I suppose he and Shane Long would be fairly similar, I think.
"I know one is playing in the Premier League but Daryl scored 27 goals and sometimes you pick the player that’s in hot form, which he was.”
Meanwhile, McCarthy says he’s pleased to have added Arsenal loanee Ainsley Maitland-Niles to his squad, the 17-year-old having made his first appearance in a Town shirt at Shelbourne.
"Delighted with him, really good,” he added. "He’s only a young ‘un but he’s a really good footballer.
"Listen, he can be Arsenal player, so that’s saying something. We’re lucky that we’ve got him.”
McCarthy dismisses the suggestion that the additions of Maitland-Niles and fellow loanee Ryan Fraser mark a change to a more wing-based style of football.
"I think we’ve always tried to have that but it’s not always worked, to be quite honest," he said.
"I signed Cameron Stewart and Alex Henshall last year for that reason and we ended up with Tabby, who is more of a left-side of midfield player there, who played 35 games. He was different class, Tabby. And Paul Anderson on the other side.
"We’re trying to get better players in all the time. We’re trying to get more goals from midfield and wide areas because we didn’t get enough last year.”
Town are next in action at Fortuna Düsseldorf on Friday evening when Murphy, McGoldrick and Christophe Berra will be back with the squad after being given additional time off having been on international duty well into June.
"Thursday we fly in, we train Thursday evening,” McCarthy said. "We train Friday morning, do a little bit of something and come back on Saturday. Just a couple of nights.”