McCarthy: No Point in Making Signings Just for the Sake of It - Ipswich Town News

Town boss Mick McCarthy says he wasn’t going to sign players who were no better than those already in his squad during the January transfer window.

While other clubs in the promotion hunt spent money to add to their squad - most notably Middlesbrough who signed former Blue Jordan Rhodes for £9 million - sixth-placed Town were quiet in the transfer market, leading to criticism from some sections of the support.

"I haven’t got the cash to splash in the transfer market, let’s clear that up!” McCarthy said when quizzed on the Blues’ lack of business, the only January additions having been free agent Kevin Foley, a like-for-like replacement for the departing Jonny Parr, and Paul Digby, signed on loan from Barnsley with a view to the future.

"I think I’ve told you, I can’t do better than the 11 I’ve got on the pitch without spending a lot of money. And I haven’t got a lot of money to spend.

"I’m not in the market for going out and getting mediocrity just for the sake of it or [signing] somebody else just for the sake of it. They’re going to have to come in and be better than what I’ve got.”

He says in the current market it’s perfectly possible to pay out a fee of £1 million or so for a mediocre player.

"It could end up getting me somebody that’s not as good as I’ve got in the team so I just don’t see the point in doing it,” he added. "If there are millions there I don’t see the point in doing that.”

However, Town weren’t entirely inactive during the window with McCarthy reiterating that enquiries were made for some younger players, having previously said that they were "non-starters really in terms of the money”.

He added: "We did actually bid for some of the younger ones that I thought would eventually make us better or strengthen the squad, but that didn’t work out for whatever reason.”

Meanwhile, former Blues midfielder Byron Lawrence, 19, has joined Vanarama National South Bishop’s Stortford, having recently left Colchester United.

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