Town boss Kieran McKenna and CEO Mark Ashton have spoken about striker Tyreece Simpson’s current situation.
The 20-year-old scored 11 times while on loan at Swindon during the first half of the season but was recalled towards the end of January having rebuffed the offer of a new contract. The academy product’s current terms are up in the summer but with the Blues having an option for a further season.
Asked about Simpson’s situation at last night’s Fans’ Forum, manager McKenna said: "Tyreece is a player I didn’t know so well coming into the club, a player who has gone on his first loan experience and had a productive experience at Swindon in the first half of the season.
"I’ve said publicly before so it’s not news, Tyreece’s discussions and recall were around his contract situation and his commitment to the football club and something the club were working with him and his representatives on.
"At the time he was recalled at the end of January, it wasn’t to be involved in our first-team squad, it was a recall to have some discussions about his future at the club with a view to going back out on loan again at the end of January.
"Those discussions didn’t progress as either party wanted at that time to a satisfactory end. Obviously the window closed and Tyreece is currently part of the football club.
"I’ve had conversations with him through the process and said that we wanted to get the right thing sorted for his development but also for the rest of his season, and I think the club tried to work with him towards that.
"So long as he’s in the football club, I want to work with him and develop him because I think he’s got potential to be part of this football club going forward.
"Since he has returned to the club, which wasn’t planned as an addition for us for the second half of the season, he’s had an opportunity to train with the first team.
"He was hampered by a little injury but he’s now actually back in full training and has been training well and as it currently stands is an option and is available for us in an area of the pitch where we have really big numbers and we have depth but also where Tyreece can give us a different attribute.
"At the moment he’s training well, he’s probably going into his second full week of training with us as a group so I’m getting to know him a little bit better.
"The rest of the squad are getting to know him and his attributes a little bit better and it’s to him to now keep showing in training that he can contribute to us for the rest of the season.
"And then beyond that, I’m having conversations with Tyreece on a regular basis about his future, how I see his development, how I see how his part in this team could be.
"And it’s up to Tyreece and his representatives to continue talks with the club on a contractual situation to hopefully find something that each party can be happy with and Tyreece can continue his development and hopefully have a part to play at Ipswich Town.”
Ashton added: "What I would say, it’s wrong of me to talk about any individual player’s contract, but one thing I can promise our supporter base is that I will fight tooth and nail for this football club.
"This football club will not in any shape or form be agent or representative led. It doesn’t work. Doesn’t work for me, won’t work for this ownership group.
"Ipswich Town will decide where its young players go, what’s best and what contracts are put in front of them and how that works and how that pathway works to the first team.
"And it’s the same for the senior boys. We have good relationships, most of the agents across the world, we have a big wide network, and I think if you look at the careers of myself and people around me, we’ve been really successful in what we’ve done in player trading.
"Our job is to protect this football club and at times that’s tough, and it’s a tough world with agents at times.
"But we have to protect the football club and if we don’t show strength at certain times, trust me, our football club will get walked all over. I’ve seen it time and time again.
"We need to do the right thing, nothing’s ever personal, sometimes it’s business. My job is fundamentally to protect Ipswich Town Football Club and that’s what I will do right until the last second I’m here.
"But we try and do it in the right way, by the way, we have good relationships with most if not all agents and they’re happy to bring players here because we do contract and pay people in the right way, we incentivise them, we develop those contracts and on the playing side you’ve got coaches who will develop them.
"As Kieran said, this football club will be a really appetising place for young players to come for many years ahead.”