Town boss Mick McCarthy believes midfielder Grant Ward is a Premier League player of the future, the 22-year-old having made an impressive start to the season.
The Blues manager says Ward, who has already notched up three assists during 2017/18, including two in the 4-3 win at Millwall, has been a successful addition ever since he made his remarkable debut at half-time during the 4-2 opening day win against Barnsley at the start of August 2016 having joined from Spurs for an initial £600,000.
”Wardy's been a good player from his debut, three goals, a hat-trick in his first game,” McCarthy reflected.
"He really is a good player and if you look at the ones we’ve spent a reasonable sum of money on, they’ve been successes - him, the two lads we’ve got from Scotland, Garns and Waggy, Webbo, the ones that we’ve spent a few quid on, they’ve been really successful pretty much, although Webbo’s been injured.
"If you sign them and you spend a few quid you can be a bit more subjective and you know a bit more about them than when you’re taking them on Bosmans and frees.
"He’s been a real success, Wardy, and I think he’s a Premier League player in the making without a doubt.”
Having played most of his games wide on the right last season, Londoner Ward has featured centrally this season.
McCarthy says he was well aware of Ward’s versatility when he signed brought him to Portman Road.
"When he came he quite clearly came as a wide player but I knew he’d played in behind the frontman," he continued.
"I remember Sparky [former Town U21s coach Mark Kennedy] coming back having watched him play in an U21s game and he’d been really impressed.
"He’d played a full-back for Rotherham, so he’s quite versatile, and he’s played in midfield and he’s done well for me in midfield, wherever he’s played.
"He’s not played full-back, I think we’ve stuck him at wing-back once when we were playing during a game, but he’s played wide right, he’s played centre midfield, he’s played in behind the frontman. He’s a good player.”
Speaking to the media recently Ward revealed he’d also played as a centre-half during his time in the Tottenham youth set-up, where he played under Town’s academy head of player development, Bryan Klug, although McCarthy is sceptical regarding that particular string to his bow.
"Don’t believe him! He’s headed a few balls recently so now he thinks he’s a centre-half,” he joked.
Despite having made a scouting trip to Sweden last Sunday, McCarthy admits he prefers to look at signing players such as Ward, Webster, Garner and Waghorn who have Championship experience rather than recruiting from foreign leagues.
"I’d say that’s my preference because I think players [coming from abroad] take a long time to settle,” he said. "They can, but we just don't have the time to bring them in and develop them.
"Jonas Knudsen has got better from being in here and we’ve been delighted with him and if we can get any more like him I’d be thrilled.”
With prices for British players currently sky high, can you sometimes get better value in signings made from abroad?
"I’m sure you do but we’ve got six or eight scouts around, we don’t have anybody in Europe as such,” he added.
"We will look at Wyscout, we’ve got contacts, we’re not a team that’s got a scout in France, a scout in Holland, a scout in Germany, a scout in Belgium.
"We’ve got good contacts, word of mouth, Wyscout, we can punch data in and it’ll throw up all the players we might be interested in who cost nowt and don’t want paying, and there’s not many of them on there, I have to be honest.
"No, I’m joking, you can put the data in and you can find [the type of player you’re after]. If you want a winger that puts loads of crosses in of a certain value, you can do that.
"So we look at that and if we see anybody we’ll send somebody to watch. But I’ve always preferred what I know and what I get out of them, to be honest.”
The Championship has a reputation for being a league unlike any other and McCarthy believes there’s no substitute for experience of the division when recruiting.
"I’m not knocking others or lads from Europe or any other country because there are some really good players that come in, but if you’re going and buying them, if you’re taking free transfers and Bosmans from Europe, I’d pretty much back my judgement on the ones who have played in the league,” he said.
"Kevin Bru’s been a particularly good one for us on a Bosman. But I’d take the ones who have had league experience over and above if that’s the kind of player that we’re looking for.”