Town boss Mick McCarthy says he’s made a lot of phone calls but so far with little success as he looks to add loanees to his squad during the January transfer window and has had no contact from anyone regarding any of his own players.
Asked if there has been any interest in any members of his squad, McCarthy responded: "I don’t know. I’ve had no contact from anybody, this week’s been pretty quiet, I’ve been on the phone making phone calls, getting nowhere, pretty much. But, I’ve had no calls about mine.”
And if owner Marcus Evans had received any interest he’d know, he added: "He would speak to me about it, of course.”
McCarthy says he has received no contact from Colorado Rapids regarding Tommy Smith: "I’ve not had any, no.”
One player the Town boss has targeted is Brighton defender Connor Goldson, who almost joined the Blues on loan in August. It’s likely the Seagulls will allow the 25-year-old to move once they’ve signed another central defender, a switch which could in turn have an impact on Smith’s situation.
Quizzed on whether he’s closer to making an addition and whether any deals elsewhere might trigger a player moving to Portman Road, McCarthy said: "Oh yes, the ground soil’s been thrown in! Yes, I’ve made loads of phone calls and asked loads of questions.
"But at this moment in time I’m no further forward, there’ll be nothing done for tomorrow, so consequently why be panicking today because we’ve got a week before the next game and the team that will be playing tomorrow is a good team in my mind. But we need some fresh legs.”
Does he know whether the players he has targeted would be happy to join the Blues if their clubs let them go out on loan? "I’ve no idea because that would be wrong of me to have spoken to anybody about them. Just ask the clubs and see whether they’ll let them go. I have to behave myself, don’t I?”
Town received £750,000 for Kieffer Moore following his move to Barnsley - although his previous club Forest Green Rovers are understood to be due a cut of almost six figures - earlier this week, while the new sponsorship deal with Magical Vegas is worth almost £2 million over the next three and a half years.
Questioned on whether that means he has an increased budget to play with McCarthy says that each deal is judged on its own merit rather than there being a set amount of cash for him to work with, as has been the case throughout his time at Portman Road.
"I’ve never had a budget, this idea that there’s this pool of money that I go to and I can go and do this and do this. That’s not the case, I’ve never had that," he said.
"It’s always been having a look, find the players, see if we can do it and then Marcus will let me know whether it’s doable.”
As ever McCarthy will be working within tight parameters as he looks to add to his squad - with loans his current target - but he has no problem with that.
"It’s always been that way,” reflected McCarthy, whose time at Town could be up at the end of the season when his current contract ends.
"I’ve never had any complaints about it. I’m looking at some of the deals others are doing but good luck to them, I’m doing what I’m doing and I’ve been doing it pretty well over the last five years. Hopefully I keep doing it well for the next four months.”
He says, ‘How much cash have I got to play with?’ is not a question which comes up: "That’s never been a way I’ve asked. Of course I’m aware of what wages we would want to pay, if it’s a loan deal what it would be. It’s not me just going and picking the phone up and saying, ‘Any chance of doing this?’.
"Far from that, I don’t go and start trying to take Leonardo Ulloa from Leicester on loan, that’s not going to happen. I only mention him because somebody else had mentioned him to me. I know where we’re looking, of course.”
And when he sells players for very significant profits, as was the case with Moore, he doesn’t speak to Evans and ask if he can use some of it?
"Not in as many words," he added. "I could have asked the same with a few players really, Cressy went, Murph went, Tyrone went and we raised, what was it, £14 million, £15 million or something. But I don’t go and ask that question, no.”
McCarthy says Evans knows full well he needs to bring players in with the squad severely depleted due to injuries.
"Of course, but likewise he can’t magic them out of clubs,” he said. "We try to get them and I’ll continue to try doing that.
"But if I can get Jordan Spence back, Webbo back, other bodies back, Tristan and Flynn, we’ll be a lot better for that as well.”
The Blues boss says Kevin Bru, who was previously made available, is now unlikely to be allowed to depart during this window, although he says there’s not been any interest in the Mauritius international, who came close to joining Toulouse in August, in any case.
"Not at the moment, no,” he added. "I’ve no intention of doing that and, I have to be honest, nobody’s been banging my door down, we’re two weeks into the transfer window.
"No, I’ve no intention of that happening. That might change if somebody comes in and offers him a three-year deal somewhere, he might want to go, but that’s not been the case.”