Town boss Mick McCarthy has revealed he made a loan enquiry regarding winger Ryan Fraser but as he expected AFC Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe told him he won't be available. Former Scotland U21 international Fraser, 22, was hugely impressive on loan at Portman Road last season but saw his campaign twice halted due to injury.
McCarthy says there’s no chance of the one-time Aberdeen man returning to Portman Road: "No, I did ask, I spoke to Eddie. I didn’t think so, but I’ve left my marker down just in case.
"They’re signing Jordon Ibe, I believe, he’s a right winger. I think Ryan’s a left winger, he’s better on the left coming in on his right, a bit like Matt Jarvis that I had a Wolves, he’s the same.”
The Blues manager says he expects Fraser to get his chance in the Premier League during the season ahead: "I would think so. I spoke to Eddie, and I’m sure he knows anyway, but he asked me what I thought and I said I think he could play for any team in the Premier League.
"If you put him in he’d handle it, he’d play on the inside, he goes past people, he can see a pass and he’s got a goal in him. And he does all the dirty stuff as well, which I think was the big reason that he came to us because he knew he’d have to do it. And he did.
"I remember him against Brighton winning a header against the six-foot tall wide player coming in. He was at the far stick heading it clear. He bought into it, he’s a great kid.”
He says Fraser was a big miss when he was sidelined, a knee injury putting him out of action between September and December and a hamstring problem ending his season in February.
"We lost Ryan because he was injured and we lost Ainsley Maitland-Niles, he missed games, he’d just run out of gas, I think,” McCarthy added.
"We lost a fair bit, didn’t we? And Didzy, who can go past people with a bit of skill. We did miss that, so it’ll be nice to have him back.”
While Fraser may not be available, McCarthy, who has said he is targeting Premier League players on loan, is hopeful he can bring in someone who can make a similar impact during 2016/17.
"I always think something will happen, I’m always optimistic about it,” he continued. "What that will be I don’t know. I’ll remain optimistic.”
Also missing for much of last season was Teddy Bishop, who was one of Town’s most impressive performers in the 2-1 win at Shelbourne on Saturday, drifting inside from a right midfield role McCarthy has previously said he is considering for the 19-year-old given the dearth of wingers currently at the club.
McCarthy says he continues to look for wide additions but Bishop playing that position, from where he created most of Town's first-half chances on Saturday, is an option.
"I want to add to the squad,” he confirmed. "But Bish was excellent in the first half playing from the right and wandering about.
"If we haven’t got out and out wingers we’ll do something else and I’m cool with Bish, I want Bish in the team anyway.
"I think had the pitch been cut shorter [at Tolka Park] he’d have scored or he’d have set a couple up. It stuck between his feet for about four seconds, he was running beyond it.
"He’s fabulous, he’s a fabulous footballer, I love him. He’s very, very gifted, he glides past people for fun, He can see a pass.
"It’s lovely to have him back and he might fill that slot on the right-hand side for us. Not as a winger but as a right-sided midfield player.
"There’s no way I’m going to stick him right out there because it would be a waste of him.
"If you haven’t got what could be described as wide players, you’ve got to adapt and try something else and I think, to be fair, it worked well with Bish.”