Town’s attempt to sign Preston striker Jordan Hugill looks to be over with the Lilywhites unwilling to sell the 24-year-old, according to Blues boss Mick McCarthy, who still continues to search for a new frontman ahead of Tuesday’s 11pm deadline.

Asked whether he had given up on signing Hugill, who scored Preston’s last-gasp equaliser against the Blues at Deepdale on Saturday, Town having had a second bid of £2 million for the former Port Vale man rebuffed a few days earlier, McCarthy said: “I think they gave up on us, they’re not selling him.”

Could there be further additions to his squad before the window closes? “Possibly, we’re still trying but as I said right at the very start of it, it’s going to be difficult and that’s just how it’s proven to be.”

Has he had any feedback on the offers he made last week? “The only feedback we’ve had is a no.”

A replacement for Daryl Murphy, who was sold to Newcastle at the end of the August window for £3 million was top of the January wish-list, so would McCarthy be frustrated if one wasn’t signed before tomorrow’s deadline?

“I kind of face reality, me. I’m fairly pragmatic,” the Blues manager added. “We’ve tried our best. I don’t get into that mode, I get into thinking that whatever we’ve got we’ll get the best out of them and make do with what we’ve got rather than thinking [it would be frustrating].

“I’m not like that. I just think it’s done, get on with it, we’ll crack on and work with what we’ve got, as I’ve always done. And done pretty successfully, to be honest.”

He says he’s continue to work on making that addition in the time remaining: “But I’ll have to stop scouting at a quarter to eight tomorrow night.”

McCarthy says he knows nothing of reported loan interest from Coventry for midfielder Jonathan Douglas - “It’s nothing I’ve heard anything about but if Russell Slade rings me up, I’ll speak to him” - and says he's not aware of anyone chasing any of his players.

“No idea, I haven’t got a clue,” he said. “If there is nobody’s telling me. Everybody and sundry is promoting Tom Lawrence to go here, there and everywhere and we all know that he’s signed and it has to be agreed by us, Leicester and him and that’s not going to happen."

McCarthy says he’d be up for sending some of his younger players out on loan with midfielder Kundai Benyu set to extend his stay with Vanarama National League Aldrershot.

“Yes, I might send some of them on loan,” he continued. “It’s certainly benefiting Kundai.

“I was speaking to [Shots manager] Gary Waddock today and they’re going keep him, we’ve got a 24-hour recall on him and hopefully towards the end of the season if we’re neither going up nor down then we can blood some of the young ‘uns and Kundai will be better off having had two, three, maybe four months playing in the National League.

“They keep taking him month to month and when I spoke to Gary Waddock today I said we’ll just keep it the same.

“It wouldn’t make any difference if we said to the end of the season because we’ve still got a 24-hour recall. They just keep turning it over every month. I’m fine whichever way they want it.”

Regarding striker Leon Best, who he stated last week wouldn’t play for the club again, McCarthy says he’s unlikely to leave during January as he has to undergo minor surgery.

“No, I doubt it, he’s got to have a little op on a groin operation he had before he came here,” the Town boss added. “That’s just got to be tidied up, that won’t be a long thing. But very unlikely.”

Photo: Action Images

prebbs007 added 17:52 - Jan 30 You total and utter lying dinosaur CN&T !!!! You've had 5 months to sort out CF. you told fans you would do early January business. You now on 30th Jan come out with this bull !!! You're a ducking fisgrage Muck. Get out of our club. Go lie to another group of fans who may be stupid enough to listen to and believe you. We won't. No one wants you here. We will miss out on Rowett because our Lilly livered owner won't pay up the best £1m we would ever spend to get rid of you and your antiquated hoofball. We're a joke and you've created that. To turn around now and only to have brought in 2 freebies, 1 loan and 2 non league nobodies is an insult. We have received amazingly great fees for players over your tenure and spent peanuts except for the huge wage increases you gave to the absolute dross squad you've assembled and the "good blokes" you persist with even though they're league 1/2 players. Get lost you useless idiot !!!!

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Pilgrimblue added 17:52 - Jan 30 In the meantime MM should have closer look at Blake at Leiston. He's scoring loads of goals and is just up the road but perhaps living in Bromley it's too far for him to bother.
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Razor added 17:55 - Jan 30 Looks like the same old script!
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Suffolk_n_Good added 17:59 - Jan 30 Don't get me wrong I'm glad we haven't gone back with a bid higher than the reported £2m, as I don't think he's worth more than that, but yet again this should of been sorted in the first week of Jan, the club have known for months we needn't a replacement for Murphy, & other additions. But yet again we've been taken for mugs, thinking we'll except all the bulls*** about umpteen "7 figure bids" being in, when realistically we all knew what would happen, you can put a "7 figure bid" in for any player, Hazard, Sanchez, Kane!! But Evans knows it would never be accepted, but he (& Mccarthy) can then go strutting around, banging the drum to the remaining idiots that still keep believing the bulls***, "Oh we've tried" "Clubs don't want to sell" "we've got 7 figure bids in don't you know!" So what have we ended up with, a £10,000 striker from Forest Green, a right back that couldn't hold down a starting place at MK Dons, & another has been looking for a final payday!!!! ITFC has sold the fans down the river yet again. Bloody disgrace.....

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smithy0981 added 17:59 - Jan 30 I don't believe for one minute that we had 'several big bids in for players' it's all lies to keep us fans happy. We were never going to spend much money it's the same every time it comes to January and the summer MM says we had bid for players but the other team said no or want stupid money. We just have to work with what we have, we should have enough to finish mid table I'm confident of that but unless we spend money we will never be anything other Than a safe bang average championship team

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DurhamTownFan added 18:00 - Jan 30 They didn't ever want to sell him, but more to the point, did we ever really want to buy him? Or was it a diversion tactic so ME can say 'oh well we tried but nobody wants to sell their players'. So we're left with a freebie, a 100k player from Yeovil, and a loanee. Would anyone be happy with that at the start of the month? No, I'm not either.
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DurhamTownFan added 18:02 - Jan 30 Oh and I just remembered Taylor (free) and the winger we got whose name I can't remember. Forgive me, I must have been too excited!!
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blueboy1981 added 18:05 - Jan 30 .......... and the 'Happy Chappies' will still keep smiling, and accepting. Elto, Gcon, Mr Diddle, Swn98 ........ and the rest of the crew. Let's hear your excuses for this latest con trick.
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blueboy1981 added 18:07 - Jan 30 ........ 'never have so many been conned by so few'.
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Chondzoresk added 18:24 - Jan 30 To be honest I think Hugill is overpriced. Not worried, however, yet again we are found wanting at the end of a transfer window.
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patthegimp added 18:27 - Jan 30 Steve Taylor a premiership quality defender, Diagouraga a strong midfielder who can pass and on his first showing happy to play the ball forward for the strikers- these are superb signings potentially. Also some younger players with potential coming in. I personally am delighted with the transfer window work and expect to see ITFC make steady progress up the league and I still believe we will make the play-offs. The two experienced players will instill confidence in the rest of the team. I expect and hope MM will be here next year

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Suffolk_n_Good added 18:30 - Jan 30 ⬆️😂⬆️😂⬆️😂⬆️😂⬆️😂⬆️
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Woodbridgian added 18:30 - Jan 30 Doesn't mater what anybody thinks is value for money a proven championship striker is going to cost more than £2m it's called market forces.Something Marcus Evans should understand as he's built a business on selling things for over face value.
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therein61 added 18:34 - Jan 30 All these reputed 7 figure bids are just spin from the empire trying to excite the fans and cover what a dreadful job that is being done to our great club from A-Z all we were going to get were low league signings(I'm not knocking these guys and wish them well at Town) and loans yet again!! this club is just not planning for the future!! only existence and the way we are going that is debatable.

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blueboy1981 added 18:34 - Jan 30 patthegimp .......... whatever it is - not at all sure I want any. Just a Reminder:- Taylor WAS a Premiership player. Diagourago was NOT wanted by a competitor Championship Club. The above is REALITY - but I genuinely hope they do well for us, as indeed most others would.
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cat added 18:59 - Jan 30 Prebbs007- great post, enjoyed that 😂 Nothing like showing a bit of passion hey!!. Good work fella :)
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Seasider added 19:01 - Jan 30 Agree with Steve that Hugill is not worth more than 2m.Hope this is a smoke screen and we are pursuing alternatives.I will still be disappointed though, if we don't get a marquee signing, after the promises that have been emanating from club.I am sure JAS will feel the same? Player amortisation at £0.2m(ie player £600k with 3 yr contract goes into accounts @ £200k per annum)is the 2ND LOWEST in division,with only Rotherham spending less on players. However our debt is the 6th highest.QPR has the highest at £194 million followed by Brighton,Cardiff,Blackburn and Hull City. The often quoted FFP,now has new rules with the allowable loss of £39 million over 3 years,which equates to £13m p.a.More than double what it was,although anything over £5m each year has to be funded by the owner injecting equity.Things like youth development are exempt. Virtually nothing has been spent on the Stadium in the 10 years since Evans took over. Where does this leave our once great club.In a very difficult position I would say,as one can see from above,even if Evans does spend a couple of million,player amortisation will still be lower than virtually all our competitors,and despite the hype from Sheepshanks initially and now Milne we remain a selling club with decreasing drawing power;and unless there is an immediate renaissance on the pitch, season ticket renewals could be even lower than last year. Over to you Messrs Evans McCarthy and Milne.

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TractorBoy666 added 19:04 - Jan 30 Can't say I'm surprised. The club wouldn't bring in someone when we had a chance of promotion so why would they now when the club is going nowhere?! Same old lies from a club with zero ambition and going nowhere but backwards. It's a complete farce and there's still fans who remain happy with the current state we are in. We still have NOT replaced Daryl Murphy and that is completely unacceptable.

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bbg added 19:18 - Jan 30 If above contributors had pumped £100+ million of your own money into a black hole, perspectives might be different . As for tax losses, believe me there are far less expensive ways of avoiding tax, as I am sure the owner is well aware. I dont know a lot about the strikers we are linked with. From what I have seen of Hugill, I'm not sure that he is worth £2m+. Have other excitable contributors on here scouted the players in question as the club surely have, or are you just happy if we spend a few million. Personally I think we have added players in positions we needed them. I think each can contribute, and they cost nothing. It appears that MM is happy to go with Spence/Emmanuel at RB, who can go on the outside, it will be useful to have a player like Rowe who can cut in on his left foot. From limited knowledge, I wouldn't mind if we took a punt on Bogle. The last 6'2”, left footed target man we had did ok, and he wasn't prolific before coming here. It is laughable that some contributors think they are in a better position to assess who should be in the team than a professional who has won 2 championships and played and managed at world cups. I have no problem with expressing opinions. We all have preferences, which might not always correspond with a manager. But to be dogmatic about it and say we are better qualified to state X or Y must play, or we must adopt a certain formation or style. Neither do I think any of us are qualified to hire and fire managers. The biggest danger to the club for me is that MM or any manager feels pressure to appease me or any other fan. I think he should have shut up shop late in the game on Saturday. How many times did we see Mourinho at Chelsea bring in an extra CB late in a game. For me, we are paying a heavy price for Emmanuel and Dozzell's inexperience. They need time out of the firing line. I would say to him as for any manager at any level, do what you think is right, you are closer to it than us.

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RegencyBlue added 19:20 - Jan 30 Hopefully we all get surprised tomorrow but at the moment another uninspiring transfer window from 'corporate Evans' who promises much but delivers little!
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Dissboyitfc added 19:32 - Jan 30 Leave the signing of new players to the new manager! No more pointless loans, they are not needed at this point of the season, give the youngsters the game time.
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itfcgene added 19:43 - Jan 30 Wolves have signed winger Helder Costa on a permanent deal until 2021 for a club record fee of £13m. Costa becomes the fifth player to move to an English Football League club this season for a fee of more than £10m, following Dwight Gayle and Matt Ritchie's moves to Newcastle, Ross McCormack's transfer to Aston Villa, and Villa's signing of Bristol City striker Jonathan Kodjia. Kodjia is believed to be the most expensive signing in Championship history, having signed for an initial £11m, with add-ons taking his cost to £15m. Over to you Mr. Evans.

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Pip50 added 20:04 - Jan 30 FFP RIP
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runningout added 20:05 - Jan 30 Costa is worth it for Wolves. Hugill will be a diamond too, but not for us I doubt :/
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Suffolk_n_Good added 20:06 - Jan 30 Ironically Ipswich Town have also purchased a "Costa" not Diego, not Helga, but "Costa Coffee!!" Speaking at this afternoons press conference McCarthy said, I've always liked the lad, he's "Strong" he's not one of these "milky-sorts", he may not be everyone's "cup of tea"!!! 😂😂😂
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