Town boss Mick McCarthy says he will be looking to add goals to his midfield during the close season with widemen again amongst his targets.

The Blues, whose midfield McCarthy admits haven't scored regularly enough, have lost a number of players who operate out wide this summer, while previous recruits such as Alex Henshall, Dylan Connolly and Cameron Stewart, who remains a Town player but is available for transfer, have failed to make an impact.

“It’s important to get our recruitment right this summer, but that’s no different from any other year really,” the Blues boss told the club website.

“The wide areas are an issue for us. We have lost Tabby [Jay Tabb]. Ainsley [Maitland-Niles] has gone back to Arsenal and obviously Ryan [Fraser] is back with Bournemouth so we need to look at that.

“Goals from midfield have been a problem for us over the last two or three years but we looked to have got on top of that with Ryan, who certainly contributed in that area. He was a real loss for us.

“Kevin Bru got a couple of goals, Dougie [Jonathan Douglas] is a goalscoring midfielder operating in the right system, we need to get Bish [Teddy Bishop] back fit and contributing in attacking areas as well. We certainly need more in terms of goals from our midfield.”

The Blues are already in talks with loanee Liam Feeney, who is a free agent following his release by Bolton, about a permanent deal and were recently amongst a number of Championship clubs linked with Southend's 21-year-old out-of-contract midfielder Jack Payne, who scored nine times during 2015/16.

Regarding 25-year-old Stewart, who has a year left on the contract he signed in the summer of 2014, having so far made just two Town sub appearances in the FA Cup during the 2014/15 campaign and spent most of the season just gone on loan at Doncaster, he added: “He’ll be looking to get a club.

“He’ll be back for pre-season, he was here [recently] and got weighed, his body fat was measured and got his programme for the summer. He’s in good shape at the minute, he’s not been playing, but he’ll come back.

“I’m always disappointed if it doesn’t work out, whatever it might be, because that’s a reflection on me because I signed him and it’s a reflection on him because he’s the player and he has to perform.”

Meanwhile, Maitland-Niles, who spent 2015/16 on loan with the Blues from Arsenal, has been named in the England U19s squad for two friendlies in Mexico on June 4th and 6th.

Photo: Action Images

MaySixth added 16:53 - May 16 Tom Pett Stevenage Borough
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jas0999 added 17:03 - May 16 Completely agree that midfield needs some work. Too many players not good enough. Would build team around Bishop with just one defence minded player considered for a starting role. A top goal scoring midfielder is desperately needed and has been for some time. That type of player will cost money though.
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Jimmy86 added 17:10 - May 16 It's Def a start that he realises we need to address these 2 areas in the summer, especially goals from midfield. Whether he will play a style of football that will suit these players remains to be seen. Hopefully he will set up a team to accommodate these sorts of players
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TractorCam added 17:19 - May 16 There's a simple solution to start with, don't play 2 defensive midfielders (never in home games!) Skuse and Douglas, Skuse and Hyam will never provide goals. Should always start with Bishop/Bru or like jas said we'd have to spend to get someone in who fits the bill. Dack or Payne who we've been linked with recently would be good additions
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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 17:28 - May 16 Well that's a good start, at least we all agree on where we need to improve. The above and an out and out right back for me.
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Michael11 added 17:34 - May 16 I agree that they should be priority signings, just don't forget the new right back please!
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SuperTommySmith added 17:36 - May 16 @Tractorcam. You say that as if we've had the options and he chose to play two DM. Bishop has been out basically all season whilst he showed he wanted to do this against Brentfod with Bru but then he go injured and spent various spells out whilst struggling for fitness when back. So his hand was forced into playing Skuse with Hyam/Douglas the majority of the season.

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Cakeman added 17:40 - May 16 I seem to remember similar words last Summer! 🤔
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Jimmy86 added 17:40 - May 16 SuperTommySmith he could always have brought in additions in Jan, when it became obvious we were missing these type of players. You say his hand was forced, it wasn't. He had Bru and to a lesser extent Mcdonnell in the squad, Foley did a job in midfield too. It's Mick's mentality to play 2 of Hyam, Skuse and Douglas in midfield
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neil1968 added 17:56 - May 16 Don't think bishop is all that too be honest . And Douglas goal scoring midfielder . Funniest comment heard all year
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BrettenhamBlue added 17:57 - May 16 Feeney and Foley would be a good start.
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blueboy1981 added 18:09 - May 16 Talk is cheap Michael - let's see the action. And then we'll believe ya. Seem to have heard this before - somewhere.
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runaround added 18:21 - May 16 Have we gone back in time 12 months? Exactly the same as last season. Mick will say he got wide players in last season, but Fraser was injured for over half the season, Pringle & Feeney barely had enough game time to really contribute whilst neither AMN or Oar made as much of an impact as hoped. Hopefully we can get more from Bishop next season & some wide men that offer more than just hard work & diligence, important as they are

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Seasider added 18:23 - May 16 A couple on here mention getting another right back;would suggest that before splashing out on a new in cumbent for this position,should give Josh Emmanuel a chance;as despite fine words academy players did not featured much last season.
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dannyrr added 18:23 - May 16 What is the right system for Douglas to be a goal scoring midfielder? I can't believe that that like Tabby we allowed an over 30 to activate an extra year on their contract preventing us bringing someone in and paying him to train a few times a week. Yes we knew we had a lack of options through injury in midfield so why did MM state that we couldn't get any better than we had. Agree Skuse Hyam and Douglas is not a midfield to score goals. Skuse has only scored one. I think Hyam has scored one and Douglas is the top scorer with2 or three. Most of those would pass back to the keeper from the halfway line rather than pass forward. Creativity is what's required none of those fit that category. It will be pointless bringing in someone in if MM chooses to play his favourites forcing them to leave due to lack of opportunity- hence Parr and Oar leaving. Oar played more for Australia than he did for Ipswich whilst he was with us. Let's see a change of heart and tactics next season and take the league by surprise.

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bohslegend added 18:34 - May 16 Hard to believe that a positive (and exactly what some of you have been asking for) message from the manager becomes yet another stick to beat him with. I said it before in jest; if we won the FA Cup Final 5-0 some of you would complain that if he'd only listened to you, we'd have won by more. I'm not sure that's altogether a joke after all...
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Wickets added 18:43 - May 16 Most of us on here have been saying just that for years, Mick.
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Garv added 18:48 - May 16 Always sounds keen to address the problem and yet still leaves his midfielders far too deep during attacks. Skuse's goal scoring record of one in however many games is abysmal. Never challenged for his place. He also makes reference to how he has wasted Douglas; 'A goalscoring midfielder in the right system.'
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carsey added 18:54 - May 16 This is a real case of de sha vue reading McCarthy talking about bringing wide men - heard it all before and nothing has come of it. Those he brought to the club have barely featured for one reason or another. As far as Douglas being a goal scorer is concerned - don't make me laugh. For what it's worth he scored 8 at Brentford in 4042 minutes in 46 games in 2014/2015 and that was a footballing side. Since being here he has managed 3 in 2896 minutes over 38 games. In total over the past 2 seasons he has managed 1 goal every 10.5 hours on the pitch. Unless McCarthy changes his style of play or someone does a Murphy and scores a bucket load of goals next season will be exactly the same. Yes spending some cash will help but only if it's the right players and they play the game properly.

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alexsmith111 added 19:33 - May 16 We never replaced Holland, broken record, living in the past. United never replaced scholes and Keane. Didn't work out well
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Vizslaraner added 20:00 - May 16 Well you better make sure this year then hadn't you! Keep talking it up and then no action! When he talks about Douglas, he means he played advanced in a midfield with Pritchard and another behind him and jota. He couldn't do any damage there. If he was so good, why did Brentford bin him off? It took them a while to get going but they will be better next year. Skuse and hyam are more than enough so I am at a loss as to why he thinks he's the answer. Anybody who knows football will look at the play offs and see proper mobile midfielders who can play. Light years away from ours and he knows it. If we keep signing journeymen or freebies no one else wants we may as well get used to staying where we are and stagnating. The only chink of light we have is the four or five youngsters coming through. Those who think MM is the second coming really need to watch tonight's and tomorrow's games and see how good the four midfield are. Derby may have blown it, but they have two midfields better than ours. Their prob is within the club.

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rexron added 20:01 - May 16 Look to South America for some flair in midfield
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Cloddyseedbed added 20:04 - May 16 As others have said, we have heard this all before and have had loads of wide men brought in by MM, other than Fraser they have either not been good enough or not had much of a chance or couldn't be bothered, the manager has to get it right. So far he hasn't. I can't see MM's tactics changing next year, they seem to be set in stone. Can't see for the life of me why Tabb was kept last season and Douglas next season. These players were and are past it!! Why give them contract extensions at their age. The squad will be made up of hard workers again next year and the team will be set up to frustrate the opposition and hopefully nick a goal. I hope I'm so wrong!!

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DanLyles added 20:26 - May 16 Gudmundsson got 11 assists and 6 goals in a relegated Charlton team cutting in from the wing; Moncur got 14 goals in a relegated Colchester team from centre mid; Marcus Maddison scored 11 and assisted 13 in a mid table posh side from the left wing. If we can't get Fraser back on loan and even if we secure Feeneys services, we need to be getting players like this in.
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Rowski added 20:59 - May 16 Gudmundsson is contracted for another 3 years so would cost too much, not worth the money. However Calum Harriott from Charlton is a free transfer and scored 10 with 12 assists across two leagues this year, well worth signing. Also Sulley Kaikai a Palace youth player is a free transfer, he scored 11 with 3 assists from 30 games. His goals basically kept Shrewsbury up, worth a punt. Then of course Dack and Concur have got to be worth going for, I can't see Concur costing more than £100k with 1 year left on his contract. I also like the look of Kemar Roofe or Che Adams but they would certainly cost £1 - 1.5 million a piece as both have 2 year contracts to run. Roofe scored 25 goals and got 11 assists this year from 48 games at RW/S!

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