Cole Skuse has confirmed he wants to stay with Town, regardless of which league they are in next season, and is hoping good friend and team-mate Luke Chambers will also be on board.
Even if he is keen to put the emphasis on youth, manager Paul Lambert has made it clear he wants the experienced duo to be in his squad next term, but while Skuse is under contract for another year, Chambers is relying on the club to trigger the 12-month option they have on his services.
Skuse recalled how Lambert spoke in glowing terms about the pair and said: "It was flattering the way he spoke about Chambo and me in such high regard, which was obviously very, very nice, and I don’t think Chambo has made any secret of the fact that he would love to stay around the club to some degree.
"It’s something I have thought of as well. It’s a fantastic club and the infrastructure is brilliant.
"I’ve got a contract and if I’m wanted around the place I’m here. If the club want to pursue something new that’s not my decision, but I do want to be around the place.
"This is my sixth season and I’ve loved every minute of it. The family are settled here and I’m contracted to the place so I want to be around the place.
"I’m not actively looking but if someone comes to the club and offers some money for me to go elsewhere — and the club accept it — it’s kind of out of my hands.
"I’m not looking to move, I’m at Ipswich Town and I’m contracted to Ipswich Town. I feel as though I’ve got loads of football left in me but what will be, will be. It’s not something I’ve thought about and it’s not a bridge I’ve crossed just yet.”
Chambers and Skuse are so close as friends that they have already gone public with their plans to stay together when their playing days are over, the former as a manager and the latter as his assistant, but for now they want to continue their playing careers for as long as possible.
Skuse added: "We’re close and I’ve offered my services as an agent! He’s in conversation with the club and I don’t think a decision is too far away.
"That’s a question for him to answer really. As much as I’m very, very close to Luke — he spends as much time at my house as I spend at his — when the door closes at night and he’s sat down with his wife and family I’m sure they have discussions that they don’t have with me and my wife.
"He knows his final decision, he’s got that in his head, but I hope for both the town’s sake and the club’s sake that he gets things ironed out and he stays.
"He is an unbelievable leader of an organisation and while he’s 33 years of age he’s another one who looks after himself and conducts himself very well, and he’s got plenty of football left in him as well.
With Lambert keen to keep the player and Chambers also looking to remain at the club, Skuse was asked why a deal has yet to be confirmed.
He replied: "It has been ongoing for a little while and I don’t know the real nooks and crannies of why it might not have been done — let’s just hope it does get done.”
Meanwhile, Skuse is delighted that Teddy Bishop, who recently signed a new two-year deal, is back and close to firing on all cylinders again. "I’m really pleased for Teddy,” he added.
"It almost got to the stage — and he openly said this himself in an interview a little while back — that it was close between whether he was staying or going.
"I’m glad he has ironed out a deal with the club to stay because when you watch him in a game he’s got certain things about him, things that not many people have got.
"He can jink and glide past opponents, and he’s a creator who makes things happen. He’s a fantastic player and it’s great to see him back playing frequently now that he’s fit. He’s one that could go on to play at the very top.
"In terms of the other lads, they proved again on Tuesday night against Bristol City the talent that is on show.
"Andre [Dozzell] came in for the first time in a little while and he was different class. Josh Emmanuel, you forget that he’s still a young lad and he was fantastic. There’s an abundance of them and they are international players for a reason.”
Idris El Mizouni became the latest academy graduate to make his senior debut when he came off the bench to in the 1-1 draw at Ashton Gate with 75 minutes on the clock and Skuse added: "Idris deserves every bit of credit he gets because he’s a great kid and you want to see kids like him succeed.
"He’s come over from France, he’s learned the language off his own back, he has integrated with everyone around the place and he’s a very, very talented boy.
"It’s not as if we’re mid-table, we’re 3-0 up at home and the manager has chucked him on. We need a result, we’re away from home and it’s 1-1 — that’s credit to Idris, I think, that he deserves to be on the pitch at that stage in the game.”