Midfielder Flynn Downes’s loan move to League Two leaders Luton Town for the remainder of the season has been confirmed.
Hatters boss Nathan Jones says he’s delighted to add the 19-year-old to his squad for the season’s final push.
"Flynn is a young Championship player who Ipswich have big hopes for,” he told the Hatters official site.
"We don’t take many loans, but we knew about him and once we were made aware he’d become available, we felt it was worth the chance to take him.
"He’s a real energetic, combative midfield player. We know what type of character and what type of worker he is, because he’s one that Mick McCarthy likes — and if Mick McCarthy likes him we know we are getting a real top midfield player.
"We are delighted that Mick was very complimentary about our environment and how we play. He was instrumental in allowing Flynn to come out and get more experience with us.”
England U19 intenational Downes himself added: "I can’t wait to get started. It’s happened totally out of the blue. I was called into the gaffer’s office and he literally just said ‘Do you want to go out on loan to Luton?’ I just said ‘Yes, get me there, I just want to be playing football!’.
"That is the main reason I’ve come, because I want to play football. Every youngster wants to be improving, and that’s my aim — to come here, improve and help the team.”
âœï¸LOAN SIGNING | The Hatters have taken @Official_ITFC midfielder Flynn Downes on loan until the end of the season as our second signing of #DeadlineDay. Welcome to Kenilworth Road, Flynn!
👉 https://t.co/hr16NYZfdJ #COYH pic.twitter.com/yctaRV9CMg– Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) January 31, 2018
Manager Jones continued: "For us to bring someone in in that area, he has to be a very good footballer and has to be different to what we’ve got.
"We are looking to strengthen in that area just in case we had to move Glen [Rea from midfield to the centre of the defence], but now it gives us options at both centre-half and in midfield.
"With what we’ve done today we’ve strengthened the squad for the run-in, getting players that were as good, if not better than what we already had in the building.
"Both Flynn and Lloyd [Jones, signed today from Liverpool] come into that category and we think that we’ve got two fantastic signings; two young players who are hungry to do well, and that fits into what we need.”
Downes broke into the Town first team at the start of the campaign but last featured for Mick McCarthy’s side in November with injuries having hampered him in recent months.
The Brentwood-born academy product is very much viewed as one for the future and the move would is one purely so he can gain experience of senior football.
In the summer, having impressed in pre-season, Downes signed a contract which runs to the end of June 2020, with the club having an option for a further season, only a matter of weeks after putting pen to paper on his first professional deal.
Meanwhile, we understand Mustapha Carayol has not yet arrived at the club for his medical and to formalise his move to the Blues, which is expected to be completed before tonight’s 11pm deadline.
However, with his Nottingham Forest contract having been terminated by mutual consent earlier today, Town could still recruit the 29-year-old winger outside the window, although they would have to wait seven days to complete the signing.
ðŸ" #NFFC can confirm that Mustapha Carayol has left the club by mutual consent.
âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/oUjMv6JjDx pic.twitter.com/h6XrRNO2Yt– Nottingham Forest FC (@NFFC) January 31, 2018
In addition to Carayol, Limerick right-back Barry Cotter, 19, is also expected to complete his £70,000 switch to Town this evening.
Elsewhere, it’s claimed Crystal Palace could revive their interest in Blues keeper Bartosz Bialkowski with their move for Getafe’s Vicente Guaita again having stalled.
However, TWTD understands the report is purely speculative and even if the Eagles were to make an approach at this late point in the window, and with Bialkowski having agreed - although not signed - a new two-year deal with an option for a further year, it seems highly unlikely that the Blues would be willing to sell.
In any case Palace and Getafe are continuing talks and a deal appears likely to be done before the deadline.