Town boss Mick McCarthy has revealed he has renewed his interest in Brighton defender Connor Goldson, who came close to joining the Blues on loan in August. McCarthy says that if he were to lose any of his first-teamers, with Bartosz Bialkowski interesting Crystal Palace and David McGoldrick linked with Cardiff and Birmingham, replacements would be most likely be loans or Bosman signings during what he says is “not an easy window”.
McCarthy says he’s spoken to his good friend Chris Hughton about Goldson, who was at Portman Road on deadline day but, as TWTD revealed at the time, his switch blocked at the last as a Seagulls move for another defender fell through and they needed him as cover.
The Town boss says the situation is yet to change: "I’ve actually spoken to Chris about that and that’s still something where unless they’ve got a full squad that they could let him out on loan, it’s still the same position, so we’ll wait and see.”
Hughton told the Brighton Argus that he will be willing to allow the 25-year-old to go out on loan if he brings someone in.
"Probably the only one in our squad that we would still maybe look for something happening would be Connor Goldson, the Albion boss said.
"He played [against Watford], will play on Monday but, when we look at Connor and the games he has played in this last year and a half, if we had an opportunity to get him out on loan and get regular games in the second half of the season then we would.
"This is a young-ish centre-half that in effect really hasn't played for a year and a half. So if we can get him out on loan we certainly will but we would certainly have to bring in somebody as cover."
McCarthy is also looking for additions - "We need some help and hopefully we’ll get some in” - with his injury hit midfield one area which needs strengthening but dismissed links with Newcastle’s Jack Colback, who as previously reported was at Portman Road for the Derby County match as a guest of Martyn Waghorn.
"Somebody obviously saw him, he came to stay with Waggy at the weekend, somebody put two and two together and got 55,” the Town manager added.
"Why wouldn’t I be interested in Jack Colback if he was available but I think there’ll be Premier League teams available and we’d only be a loan, whatever we do will be a loan.
"I think if he gets a chance to move and start his career elsewhere, I think he’d much prefer that.”
McCarthy says that with Kieffer Moore certain to move on and Bialkowski and McGoldrick potentially also departing he has talked to owner Marcus Evans about players coming in.
"We’ve spoken about replacements, of course,” he said. "But you’re talking about Kieffer Moore, Kieffer’s not kicked a ball for us this season so he’s hardly one we need to replace.
"That’s not something that’s a panic job, ‘Kieffer’s gone, we’ll have to go and replace him’. That one can be sidelined straight away.
"Bart and Didzy is another matter. Goodness knows that would be a real blow. None of us are wanting to lose them and I can’t do anything about it. I can’t do anything about being asked about it. If somebody comes in it’ll be discussed and decided.
"As you know, I’m pretty pragmatic about that. We’re always looking just in case for replacements. That could be through injury or suspension, not suspension because we can’t do emergency loans now, but certainly injury, long-term injury or anybody that would leave.
"[We look at] players that we’d be interested in if we had this to cope with, this to contend with.”
Would he want some of that money for fees if they were to be sold, with owner Marcus Evans the man making the final decision.
"I would have to get a player in, however that might be,” he confirmed. "You can keep asking me about the money all you like, but short-term we’ve got four months left of a [season].
"I don’t think it’s an easy window this, so anybody who is for sale is generally more expensive.
"If anybody leaves and if we can get somebody else in to help in terms of loans or it might be a Bosman, there’s still a few of them, we’ll have to try and do that.”
McCarthy says he is no longer on the lookout for a third senior keeper with Dean Gerken's hip problem improving.
"I’m hopeful that Dean is going to be OK," he added. "He’s had these injections and he feels a lot better and fingers crossed he’s all right because we’ve got two exceptionally good goalkeepers.”
The Town boss confirmed he'd now only be looking for another keeper if Bialkowski were to move on: "Of course.”