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Lambert: Marcus Has Been Absolutely Brilliant - Ipswich Town News

Blues boss Paul Lambert is unsure whether he will add to his current total of six January signings and has praised owner Marcus Evans for the backing he has given him during the transfer window.

Alan Judge became Lambert’s sixth addition earlier this week but the Town manager says the Republic of Ireland international might not he his last signing of the window.

"I don’t know,” he said. "If one comes up and I think it’s worthwhile and the football club thinks it’s worthwhile and financially it’s worthwhile, then we’ll look at it.”

Happy with his new squad and confident it can dig Town out of their current hole? "I think we’re a lot stronger than what we were. You can never predict anything but the lads that came in have given us that presence.

"We look a bigger side, they’re guys that know the game, they’re a little bit more knowledgable and I’m delighted.

"They’re here to help us, they’re not here to do anything other than help and if we can get the best out of them and we achieve it, that’ll be great.”

When it was put to him that Evans had invested significantly in his signings - both Will Keane and Collin Quaner are understood to be on wages in the region of £20,000 a week - Lambert was keeping his cards close to his chest while praising the Blues’ owner.

"James Collins has come in, not attached. Simon Dawkins came in, not attached. Callum Elder comes from Leicester, Collin Quaner came from Huddersfield, Will Keane came from Hull and Judge came from Brentford,” he listed.

"Two guys who are unattached and everybody else came in [on loan]. Marcus has been absolutely brilliant.

"We’ve targeted a lot of players over the last few weeks, he’s been really, really great with it.

"We’ve no ill feeling or anything with Marcus, it’s always been really good. We talk a lot, he comes in a lot of times to see us, so there’s no problem that way.

"As I said before, he’s been great on everything. I don’t want people to think that he’s anything other than a really supportive owner, which the football club needs and he’s been absolutely brilliant for us.”

Rotherham are understood to have wanted to sign Quaner, while Judge was also interesting other clubs.

"Ultimately, you’ve got to talk to them as a manager and see whether they want to come,” Lambert added when quizzed on how the Blues won those battles.

"I was asked a few weeks ago about where the club was in the table and would I find it hard to get people to come. That can go against you at certain times when you have to persuade them to come.

"But the lads that are here want to be here, which for me 100 per cent is vital to the whole thing.”

Returning to the cost of loan deals and Evans’s January investment in wages, he added: "I wouldn’t to put pressure on the guy and say that he [should get] me players that are £40,000 or £50,000 [a week], that ain’t going to happen.

"But everything we’ve asked of him he’s been absolutely brilliant, he really has. Whether it’s £20,000, whether it’s £10,000, whether it’s £15,000, whether it’s whatever it is, he’s been brilliant with it.

"He recognises where the club is, he’s not a silly man. He knows exactly what’s going on and I’m delighted to work with him, he’s been very good.”

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