Town goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski has revealed he plans to stay in England and make Ipswich his home after he ends his playing career.
That could mean he remains part of the Portman Road furniture for some years to come, maybe even until his retirement — but the 31-year-old Pole, crowned the supporters’ Player of the Year in three successive seasons, knows better than to take anything for granted.
Asked about his future beyond the end of the current campaign, Bialkowski said: "I still have two more years on my contract. I worked for that contract for such a long time and I’m still happy here.
"My family is happy and we are even planning to stay in England and live here in Ipswich after I finish playing football.
"That shows how much we love this place and how much we love the area. We also love the people here.
"But football can be a funny game — you can be Player of the Year three times in a row and then the next year you can have dodgy spells.
"All of a sudden you might not be wanted and you need to look for something else. As far as I am concerned the gaffer likes me and I like this place, so we’ll see.”
This season, one to forget for its lack of on-the-field success that sees Town stranded at the bottom of the Championship and facing near-certain relegation to League One, Bialkowski has been a pale shadow of the player whose impressive club form saw him selected as a member of the Poland squad at last summer’s World Cup finals in Russia.
Just how tough a season has it been for the keeper? He added: "It’s been very tough, probably the toughest for me so far. Mentally and physically, it has been such a long season.
"It’s not easy when you are bottom of the table, obviously, to put good work into the games and turn in good performances.
"But as a professional footballer you need to deal with it and you need to do everything you can to put the performances into the games.
"I had a slow start to the season, by my own standards, but I am enjoying myself again. Working with Jimmy [Walker, goalkeeping coach] I feel as if I’m getting back to my best again.
"It has taken me a while — I’m not going to lie — but I’m feeling positive and ready to go.”
Reminded about his upbeat display in the away game against West Bromwich Albion, one of six 1-1 draws in Town’s last seven outings, Bialkowski said: "It was a good game for a goalkeeper because if you are facing, say, 20 shots in a game you are obviously going to save some of them.
"It’s always good for a goalie to be facing shots but there are games when you don’t have to do very much and then you let one or two goals in and all of a sudden everyone keeps asking why. But right now I’m positive and feel I am getting back to my best.”
The Pole admitted former goalkeeping coach Malcolm Webster’s decision to retire last summer had an effect on him. "Mally has been a bit like a father to me in England and within football,” he continued. "I owe him so much and it was a sad time when he told me he was going to retire.
"I remember he told me after the Norwich game last year that he was planning to retire at the end of the season and I had a tear in my eye.
"We said to each other that we should make it a good year and it was for me personally because I went to the World Cup with my country. I have missed Mally but he has earned his retirement and I just had to get on with it.
"Jimmy has come in as the new goalkeeping coach and he is absolutely brilliant. He’s a funny guy and he prepares and puts on good training sessions every morning. He’s a joy to work with and the fact that I am working with him is one of the reasons I am getting back to my best.
"I wouldn’t say he is similar to Mally. He’s got a different type of coaching style, which is good because even coming up to 32 I am open to learning new things. He’s definitely been good for me.”