Mick McCarthy says Town’s approach to the transfer market won’t change, despite the sale of Aaron Cresswell to West Ham. The Town boss doesn’t expect to spend money on fees but will continue to look at the Bosman and loan markets which have served him so well since he took over at Portman Road at the start of November 2012.

Cresswell joined the Hammers earlier this month for a guaranteed £3.75 million, paid as is usually the case in instalments, rising to a possible £7 million after Premier League appearance milestones are hit.

“We’ve replaced Cressy with a free transfer,” McCarthy said. “We’ll not be going out and buying anybody, I don’t think we’ll be paying money for anybody, we’ll be doing the same - Bosmans and loan deals and see whether we can work the oracle again doing that. We’ve done it so far. But what we have got is funds for wages.

“The game is bonkers when you consider that David McGoldrick was a free transfer 12 months ago and Ross McCormack has just gone for £11 million [from Leeds to Fulham]. The game is completely and utterly bonkers. That sums up sometimes how crazy it is.”

Despite not having that sort of cash to splash, McCarthy believes that the kind of spirit and togetherness that has become the hallmark of his Town squad can go a long way towards addressing the financial imbalance.

“Without a doubt it can,” he insisted. “Although Burnley spent a few quid before the end of the season, they had a good side and stuck with it all the way through and didn’t spend fortunes.

“I’m not suggesting for a moment that Ross McCormack isn’t a good player, but consider that David McGoldrick was a free 12 months ago and he was on 16 goals when he got injured.

“We’ll be competing against teams with a lot of money. Norwich will have it, Fulham will have it, Cardiff will have it, Wigan probably. I’m not so sure about Reading because they’ve got their own troubles. Middlesbrough seem to be splashing a few quid, Derby as well.

“We’ll be competing with them again, it just makes the competition a bit tougher, but all the better when you beat them.”

He added: “It does create a good team spirit when they’re all more or less on an equal footing, there are no big stars coming in, there’s nobody coming in and getting a huge wage.

“We’ve had lads who have come in, Hunty came in last year, Christophe Berra came in, and they all added to it, they were just great lads. And I think it’s nice when they’ve all got a point to prove as well.”

McCarthy says he has no complaints regarding the Financial Fair Play constraints within which he has to work or owner Marcus Evans’s contribution.

“As far as I’m aware he’s got his leg into the club for £82 million and puts £5 million in a year just to keep it going. If somebody’s telling me he’s not putting any money in they’re being slightly disingenuous.

“I do understand [the financial situation] and I’m cool with it, it’s a challenge but it always is, whether you’ve got tons of money or no money or a bit of money, it’s a challenge to do well in the league.”

The 55-year-old admits that he relishes being the underdog: “Even as a player I enjoyed beating the odds and it seems that’s my role as a manager now. I’ve enjoyed doing it in the past and I’ll continue to enjoy doing it.”

Would he like to be spoilt and have large transfer war chest at his disposal? “That would be nice, but maybe I wouldn’t know what to do with it.

“I do all right with the lads I get. I’m always one that makes the best of what I’ve got or at least attempts to make the best of what I’ve got. I don’t whinge about it, I’ve got a job to do.”

Photo: Action Images

BigHibbs added 15:49 - Jul 14 Its nice that MM can do a good job with a small transfer budget. It strikes me as a little strange that people almost want the club to spend money. Marcus Evans has thrown a few quid at a few clowns. The analogy I like to use is Marcus is sitting in a strip club and 2 average looking crazy birds come out and he gives all his money to them as hes excited (like he was about owning a club) and then a real stunner comes out but he's done all his dough already ! MM doing a fantastic job and I feel top 8 finish is where itfc will land again this season

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karls_dad added 16:07 - Jul 14 Whilst i admire MM,s focus on Bosmans and freebies, unfortunatley unless we spend at least some money for some quality players, some that are just a little bit special i fear a reapeat of last year, good but not quite good enough just outside the playeoffs, middle to near, sad but with the likes of Fulham etc spending and already having prem quality players, we will struggle to compete!

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Slambo added 16:45 - Jul 14 I can't believe Mick McCarthy knows the word 'disingenuous'...
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Blue041273 added 16:58 - Jul 14 TimmyH You just don't get it! ME owns the club. Ultimately if and when the club makes a profit he might be able to pocket some of it. For the moment the club is making loss after annual loss and, in order to allow it to remain in business, ME rather than taking money out of the club, is having to dip deep into his pockets to cover the continuing operational losses. The money from the Cresswell transfer and savings on the wages for players released simply form part of the club's day to day cash flow. The money does not go into ME's pocket; it just means he won't have to cough up more capital as soon as he might have to.

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blues1 added 17:09 - Jul 14 clearly many on here have not read the interview in the eadt with ian milne, who clearly states that money will be available if mick wants to sign some1. whether that is for a transfer fee, or everything involved in a so called "free" transfer, remains to be seen as mm seems happy to keep to out of contract players. and timmy h, if you had of read it, you would have seen that he stated that me is not taking a penny of the cressy money back. it has to be said too that I cant see the big issue of "free" transfers? so many seem to think that if a player doesnt command a transfer fee that he isn't ne good, which is nonsense. just as an example of this, would Christiano Ronaldo, who is prob valued at around 80 mill at the mo suddenly be rubbish if he was to become out of contract? many players become out of contract and there are several reasons as to why they are not kept on at their clubs. doesn't suddenly mean theyre not any good. the likes of berra, chambers, mcgoldrick should be perfect examples of this. we should only be worried if we stop signing players altogether. paying a fee doesn't make the player better. if you don't believe me, ask Liverpool about andy carroll. did paying 35 mill for him make him a better player than the 1.5 we could have signed him for a couple of years earlier?

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jas0999 added 17:20 - Jul 14 @groovyASH ... Yes, but ipswich don't exceed a maximum cap for wages. This is something I support as problems arise when some players get paid significantly more than others. Reality is most players will be getting more or less the same. Rumour has it we pay around £5k per week. Hence why some players choose other clubs. I back my earlier comment. If it's just frees and wages, then I expect us to sign more players and certainly no less than the squad size that finished the season. I see no reason why we can't pay a small fee for a decent quality goal scoring midfielder. These players will cost money. Currently we are two permanent players down who finished last season, plus two loans. We remain weaker. I fully expected us to utilise the Cresswell money to address this. I'm sure most did.

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GerkensBeard added 17:41 - Jul 14 At the end of the day we are 80 million+ in debt ME has got every right to have that cresswell money back, take fulham. The club is massively unstable between the back room and manager, players don't like the manager, many ins and outs and there is little team chemistry there. I believe first day of the season we will tonk them tbh. As wel as fulham many other clubs in the championship are unstable money wise and backroom. I would say us, Derby, Wigan, Bournemouth, reading and a couple of others are very stable throughout. The 3 that have come down all have prem quality but Cardiff and Fulham are a mess, and are Norwich with the egos their players have having played in the premier league are they going to want to play under Adams? I honestly think next season we will make top 6. Parr and Stewart are very good signings with both having a bit of quality. Very good team chemistry and the club is very stable. Leicester last season were stable and had money but it took them 3-4 years to get there. Lets just see if micks shrewdness in the transfer market pays off and stop writing us off before the season has started if we pay a fee for a creative midfielder

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blues1 added 17:47 - Jul 14 jas0999. that's the trouble with listening to rumours. theyre usually rubbish.that figure was what some1 put on this messageboard sometime ago, without any knowledge at all. and if ne1 really believes that we are paying only 5grand a week then theyre disillusional. we wouldn't have been able to sign anyone for that wage. don't know the exact figure but I would guess it around 8-10, why do I think that? simple, berra for instance would have been on a large wage at wolves with playing when they in prem lge. do u really think hed have dropped as far as 5? I very much doubt it. seb the same, hunt too. and as I said in my last post, we will be using the cresswell money. whether it be for transfer fees or agents feew/signing oon fees for out of contract players. remember, there is no such thing as a free transfer

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Tractorog added 17:54 - Jul 14 Good. This is the sort of thing that needs to be said to stop the selling clubs wacking up fees. Think for a moment how Paul Jewel would have handled this. he'd have added a million to the next guy we bought by opening his mouth.
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krizz00 added 17:55 - Jul 14 Get real. Seems to me that some of you are thinking that Mick should have answered the question by saying he's got plenty of cash to spend on players now. What message is that sending out to clubs, players and agents? Mick is a wily old fox who keeps his cards close to his chest. That's the sign of the shrewd operator that Town need. Careless talk hits the club in the wallet and you don't do negotiations in public. Those of you who think we should splash the cash should have a bit of patience and wait until the start of the season to see what sort of squad Mick has assembled.Refreshingly Micks signings come out of the blue unlike those of previous managers. That's the sign of a good business head.

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groovyASH added 17:56 - Jul 14 @jas0999 Yes, but it could be the difference between having 4 good players on a maximum wage to, say, 7 or 8 post-Cresswell sale
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blueboy1981 added 18:02 - Jul 14 ........... what did I predict people ??????? - you know the one's who conveniently hit the minus button whenever I post !!!! I have become cynical for good reason, many more will eventually follow suite is my prediction. Shame these twists surface after people have bought / renewed their Season Tickets. Does this Club REALLY mean business in terms of Premiership aspirations ?? - DEBATABLE unfortunately. Truthful and factual it seems.

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blueboy1981 added 18:11 - Jul 14 Cannot see us being anything more than indefinite 'pretenders' - prove me wrong MM and ME - and I'll be a happy man. Could be in the Championship for many more seasons otherwise - or worse !
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blueboy1981 added 18:14 - Jul 14 ....... could this be why we cannot hold on to players like Cresswell ? - I've known the time when a player would have chosen us OVER the likes of West Ham.
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blues1 added 18:16 - Jul 14 no blueboy1981. just ur usual negative garbage. read ian ilnes interview with the eadt and youll see for yourself that the money is there to be used as and how mm wishes. this is mm saying hes happy to go with "free" transfers, not that he absolutely has to. but ur not interested in facts, only in having a go at the club, at every opportunity. and where, prior to people getting their season tickets, did the club say we're gonna spend money on players this summer? no, nowhere. and remember, just because the cresswell deal has gone through, it doesn't give us shedloads to spend. the fee is payable in instalments, so we can only spend what we've received so far.

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bring_back_Wickham added 18:16 - Jul 14 Is blue boy a troll or a real ipswich fan?
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blues1 added 18:27 - Jul 14 get real blueboy. doesn't matter who the player is. if hes got the chance to earn 2 or 3 times the wage(maybe more), than he already on, then he'll go. just as you would if a rival firm to where you work offered to double ur wages for you to go there, plus w.ham are in the premier league, and while we may hate them(more their fans than the club tbh), it is a good club. so why wouldn't he go? plus, besides ur negative comments, the money form his move will help itfc, regardless of how its used.

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blueboy1981 added 18:40 - Jul 14 bring back Wickham .......... you probably wouldn't know what a REAL fan is - it's someone LIKE ME who has seen the good times - and want our Club to be successful again, and not spend the next 12 seasons in the Championship. I've arguably been mugged as a Season Ticket holder for those past 12 or so seasons - HAVE YOU ????? So maybe, just maybe, you are a recently new troll - or one of the Supporters who will accept anything that's served up - I'M NOT. And as a 'true' ITFC SUPPORTER for 45+ years - proud of what I stand for.

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Axeldalai_lama added 18:55 - Jul 14 Come on then blueboy1, what do you suggest is done to make us better? It's so easy being the negative twonk, who then says, prove me wrong and I'll be happy. You never have to worry do you, if we lose you say I told you so, if we win you don't say anything. It's like betting against your team. And having a season ticket doesn't give you a divine right to talk rubbish, but if it makes you feel better, good for you.

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Axeldalai_lama added 18:56 - Jul 14 Sorry meant blueboy1981.
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theobald1985 added 19:09 - Jul 14 personally i would be satisfied with a change in approach in tactics and general style. i would love us to sign quality players but if mick can find a few more berras and mcgoldricks rather than greens or richardsons then we could with more attacking intent challenge for the top six-its alot of if buts and maybes though and you cant really blame blueboy1981 for being cynical. we have a manager who played a very dated long ball game and a chairman who appers to have lost intrest to an extent and who i dont think can be entirley trusted. his attempt to buy the ground along with his purchase of some training ground areas for the marcus evans group sets alarm bells ringing for me. all we can do is hope that evans is good hope mick evolves his style of play and hope he finds a couple of gems on a free

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jwalker added 19:15 - Jul 14 Woah fellas! Lets all calm down and not bicker and snipe at one another ... I'd suggest that anyone on this site is a 'true' Ipswich fan through and through. Sadly its probably been a long time since we had any 'glory seeking' supporters. I understand that not everyone is going to have the same opinion on things. For the record I think it is incredibly early for anyone to have any strong opinions on MM transfer dealings. I agree that the wage budget should be down on last year (currently) but this makes me excited!!! The signings we've made already make us much stronger (addition of pace) imo. And although signing on fees and agent fees have to be taken into account, I'd guess we've got not one or two but possibly multiple signings (including loans) on the way which would give us the squad depth we lacked last year!!! These signings still have several weeks to be made! If, and only if, no one is brought in before the end of the transfer window will I be disappointed to the extent of others who have posted.

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bring_back_Wickham added 19:35 - Jul 14 Blue boy you have no right to say am not a real fan. That is why no-one likes you. I am young so the earliest managers I remember are Keane and Jewell. Do you honestly think that Mick, challenging for playoffs on a shoestring budget is worse than the two devils we call our previous managers who nearly got us relegated with a large war kitty. Sorry if that was too long a sentence for someone of small intellect like you.

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jas0999 added 19:48 - Jul 14 @groovyASH ... Yet I suspect Edwards and SEB were already on top end. So point remains we are weaker and still have their wages to spend, plus the fee received from Cresswell. Personally, I'll be disappointed if we don't spend a small amount on a fee player. We were told if a significant sale was made, we would be able to spend. as I said originally, this could just be MM talk ... But if it's not we may as well give up. You can do okay with just frees and loans, but you can do even better with a small yet important fee investment in a fee player ... Burnley prove that.

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Walk_the_Wark added 19:52 - Jul 14 Seems this guy can do little wrong according to most on here.. Here's to another season of boring football and mediocrity.
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