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McKenna: A Fair Bit Left in the Summer, I Think There'll Be Movement in Both Directions - Ipswich Town News

Kieran McKenna expects movement in both directions before the transfer window closes on Monday 1st September.

So far the Blues have added veteran keeper David Button, midfielder Azor Matusiwa and loanee central defender Cedric Kipre.

However, the squad has lost the likes of Liam Delap, Massimo Luongo, Axel Tuanzebe and Cameron Burgess, while skipper Sam Morsy is close to completing a free move to Kuwait SC and Omari Hutchinson looks likely to be on his way with Brentford having made a number of offers this week.

"There’s definitely still work to do, there’s no doubt about that,” McKenna said. "I think it’s natural when you have promotion and relegation seasons that there’s more turnover than you would like.

"And sometimes things can be in your control and sometimes out of your control. Sometimes players want to move on for different reasons.

"I think there’s a fair bit left in the summer. I think our priority is to try and keep as many of our best players as we can.

"Beyond that, different players might have their desires or different opportunities that arise for them and we want to have as strong a squad as possible.

"There’s still plenty of work to be done in the summer, to be honest. I still think there will be movement in both directions for different reasons and, of course, we want to get the group together and solidified as soon as possible and that has to be the goal over the next few weeks.”

Asked whether any further additions are close, he added: "How close is close? To be honest, no, as far as I know. My focus has been here with the group.

"But in terms of this weekend, if that means close or someone being in the building on Monday morning, not that I know of.

"We want to get players in as quickly as possible, we want to get different situations settled and push on with the group.

"But it’s natural there’s a bit more of that when you have a relegation season, like there is with a promotion season.

"It’s just something that we need to stay strong through as a club and try and come out the other side with a really strong group.”

Ideally, McKenna would like those additions in as soon as possible so they can take part in as much of pre-season as possible.

Last season that wasn’t the case with plenty of the squad taking part in a Town pre-season for the first time having signed late a year ago.

"We have a good chance now to work with them, the likes of Sammie Szmodics, Jack Clarke, people like that, it’s the first time they’ve been away. Jacob Greaves, he made the tour but didn’t do a full pre-season last year,” the Town boss continued.

"Dara [O’Shea], Conor [Townsend], lots of them. We made signings late last year, I think we know that and that was part of the challenge.

"So those boys will be stronger for everything that they went through last year, they’ll be stronger for doing a full pre-season this year.

"Players coming in we’d like to be done as soon as possible, but it always has to be the right thing and the right conditions for the club, so that always has to take priority over trying to do something that will make the stronger this week. It always needs to be a little bit more foresighted than that.”

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