Town boss Paul Lambert says he took midfielder Flynn Downes “out of the firing line” ahead of Saturday’s season opener against Bristol Rovers in the Carabao Cup at Portman Road to give him time to “get his head clear” following the interest from Crystal Palace, despite having planned to field the 21-year-old against the Pirates.
Yesterday, Lambert revealed he had spoken to Downes and had given him a few days off, the academy product having been the subject of rebuffed offers of £1.2 million and £1.6 million from the Eagles before handing in a transfer request.
"What actually happened was that Flynn came to me yesterday and said he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to play the game,” Lambert explained at a Zoom press conference this morning.
"I understood it, I took him out of the firing line because his welfare is important to me. If it was me, I’d have played, I think the way it was I’d have played because he was playing well in training and he was playing well in the pre-season games.
"That’s why I’d picked him for the team and then we had to change it, obviously. But I have to look at him in terms of welfare as well.
"He wasn’t in the right frame of mind, he came to me yesterday and told me the way he felt. I’ve got a duty to look after him as a person as well, that’s important.
"I get the thing about Crystal Palace making an offer and it didn’t match the club’s valuation.
"The lad’s only 21 and it’s the first time has happened to him but I [had him down] to play in the game because he was playing well in training and he was playing well in pre-season. But I’ve got a duty of care to him as well and I think that’s important for Flynn himself.
"I’ve given him a few days off to try and get his head clear and I’ll have a chat with him on Monday when he comes back in and until a club puts in an offer for Flynn or any player, then the club will value players how they see fit. The other thing is that Marcus doesn’t have to budge if he doesn’t really want to.”
Asked whether Downes has asked to leave, Lambert said: "I know the transfer request has been put in. But again, he’s 21 years of age. I don’t know who is advising him, I really don’t, but my duty of care to him is huge. Yes, he was playing yesterday, but he came up to me and he said to me he wasn’t in the right frame of mind.
"I did pick him for the team and it’s a hard one for him, but, as I said before, I had to look after him as well.
Town have previously been reported to be targeting around £4 million for Downes with further top-ups almost certainly included in any deal. Claims that Town want £8 million for the England U20 seem unlikely in the current market.
"Asked about Downes’s price tag, Lambert said that at present Palace are miles from reaching it as things stand.
"I don’t know any valuation of players any more, just the way the game is,” he continued. "It’s a Premier League team and the money was nowhere near, absolutely nowhere near what I think Flynn could potentially be. Again, [owner] Marcus [Evans] doesn’t have to budge if he doesn’t want to.
"I feel a bit for Flynn because he’s stuck in the middle of the whole thing, I know what it’s like because I’ve been there and seen all those sorts of thing.
"But listen we’ve got a game tomorrow now, we prepare the best for the game. It’s the first competitive game in five months, we’ll try our best to try and get through the tie. We’ll pick a strong team that’s available to us to try and get through.”
Does he still see Downes being an Ipswich player when the window closes in October? "If somebody doesn’t come up with the figure for any player, as I said, the owner doesn’t have to budge, the owner is a wealthy, wealthy guy and he doesn’t have to budge if he feels the offer’s not there. That’s probably the best I can finish on that.”
Town have seven more matches before the transfer window closes, does he expect Downes to be involved in those games?
"Yes, until somebody meets the club’s valuation or puts in a realistic offer for any guy, for any player, Marcus doesn’t have to budge,” he insisted.
"Flynn wasn’t in the right frame of mind and he came to me. But I’d have played [him] because I picked him for the game on Saturday. But also his welfare for me is important.
"I also want players who want to play for the club as well, which is important. He’s a young guy and we have to monitor the situation and I’ll speak to him on Monday.”
If Palace were to reach the Blues valuation, would he hope that the cash raised would be made available to him to strengthen his squad? "You’d like to think so, that’s for sure. You sell any player, you’d like to think it comes back into the club. That’s for sure.
"But I understand the whole pandemic thing’s crashed into everything here and that’s a dialogue [which would have to take place], it’s a not a normal situation, this is certainly not normal.”