Boss Kieran McKenna says new signing Jack Taylor is a good profile for the Blues from a number of angles, the midfielder having signed from Peterborough earlier in the week, while the Town manager has outlined the reasons for keeping Massimo Luongo and Sone Aluko at Portman Road.
Taylor, 25, wasn’t with the squad at Felixstowe and Walton United this afternoon as he is yet to start pre-season training.
"We’re looking forward to having him in, he’s had an extra few days off as he had a really busy summer with the play-offs and the internationals, so he’ll start with us on Monday and we’re looking forward to having him,” manager Kieran McKenna explained.
"A good profile for us in all aspects and slightly different types of qualities that he brings to the squad.”
Quizzed on what role the former Republic of Ireland U21 international will play at Town, McKenna added: "He’s versatile in midfield. He’s done different roles but for us primarily, to play as one of the main central midfielders, you have to be able to receive in deep positions and we see him as someone we want to see get beyond the ball, make forward runs, get in the box and try add some goals from that area.”
Fans have been impressed by Taylor’s 10 goals for Posh last season, many of them spectacular efforts.
"He obviously had a good tally last year and he’s still got room to improve,” he said. "That’s what he’s coming to the club to do and that’s what we’re going to work on with him.”
As well as adding Taylor to his squad, out of contract duo Luongo and Aluko have penned new deals.
"Two players who were very important for us last season,” McKenna continued. "Massimo’s impact post-Christmas, Sone as I’ve said with his impact right throughout the year in the dressing room and at times on the pitch.
"Important to have enough senior figures around. We’ve brought in young players over the last few years, we want to identify more and bring in more of the young, hungry, high quality players that we want to bring in and improve, but we need good senior players around that, and they’re two good senior players.”
Aluko made only four League One starts last season and McKenna says the 34-year-old will contribute during the season without playing week-in, week-out.
"Sone said himself, the conversations started probably 15 months ago, at the end of the 2021/22 season where we were getting a feel for how he sees the next couple of years on the pitch going and how he sees off the pitch going and what he wants to do,” he said.
"If he wanted to play 46 games, then he probably wouldn’t want to stay here, but he sees that he can contribute and we know he contributes off the pitch.
"We have those conversations with someone like Sone over a long period of time and come to a decision together that this is still a good environment for him to achieve what he wants to achieve and keep developing as a person and he’s a good person for us to have around and keep helping develop the whole group and still has the quality to develop over the season.”