Blues boss Mick McCarthy says he’ll sit down with owner Marcus Evans to discuss the summer’s transfer plans once Town’s season ends at Derby on Saturday. Evans has indicated that he could be prepared to pay fees during this close season, the Blues having largely operated utilising Bosman free transfers, loans and triggering release clauses in players’ contracts in recent years.
"When the season’s finished. I was chatting to him on the phone yesterday but we’ll sit down when it’s done,” McCarthy said.
In an interview in last week’s match programme owner Evans said that he would listen to McCarthy if he came to him wanting to sign a player for a fee, citing a figure of £1 million although, speaking to Radio Suffolk’s Life’s a Pitch (from 1hr 23mins 10secs), MD Ian Milne said that that was just an example and that a larger sum could similarly come under consideration.
"Quote his notes, ‘If Mick came to me with an investment for a player, say, for a million pounds, I’d be prepared to sit down and talk to him about it’,” McCarthy said when quizzed about Evans’s interview.
"Of course [that’s encouraging for me], but then that’s always been the case. It’d have to be the right player and I guess it’s finding that player or players that’s going to be available.
"And we’re looking at the moment and talking about it, it’s ongoing. Hopefully we can do something.”
The Town boss says he’s not yet provided the owner with a list of potential signings: "I haven’t given him a list of targets, there are areas of the pitch that we want to strengthen.
"There’s not that many targets you can have if you’re looking at Bosmans and free transfers.
"If you’re talking about a million-pound player, that’s different, but which position is that going to be in? Where are they going to be on the pitch and how many are available at that kind of money?
"And even then, suddenly, even if I announce [we’re targeting] a million-pound player, if you’ve got that, suddenly it then goes up.”
McCarthy says he’d love on-loan Arsenal youngster Ainsley Maitland-Niles to spend next season at Portman Road, but isn’t expecting the 18-year-old to return.
"Ainsley, I’d have him back in a heartbeat,” the Town manager admitted. "I thought he was fabulous early on in the season. It’s his first season at this level.
"I think that it’s tough and he was playing every week on merit, I might add, he was excellent.
"And he’s had a tough end to the season, just physically it takes its toll. I doubt very much that he will come back, but I would have him, without a doubt. It’s up to him and Arsenal and we’ll see.
"But somebody’s going to get a good player, somebody’s going to get a better player for his experience this year.
"It might be us it might not, but somebody’s going to benefit from his experience of 12 months here and 12 months of being in and around the Championship and playing a lot of games.”