Blues owner Marcus Evans says the fee received from Bristol City for defender Adam Webster will be reinvested back into the squad and has revealed that that new manager Paul Hurst already has several targets as in mind he looks to rebuild for the season ahead.

“We didn’t want to lose Adam but it was very clear that the move appealed to him,” he told the club site.

“I thought long and hard before agreeing to the move and we haven’t let Adam go without receiving a significant fee and that will be reinvested into the playing squad.

“Paul has already identified a number of targets in various positions as we look to strengthen the squad for the season ahead and the challenge is now on to secure those players.”

Webster has moved to the Robins for an initial £3.5 million fee, which could rise to as much as £8 million after top-ups.

These include appearance milestones which should see the figure quickly reach £4 million as well as other clauses, including one relating to the Robins reaching the Premier League, while the Blues would also get a cut of the profit on any future sale.

Portsmouth, Webster’s former club, are due 20 per cent of the profit Town have made on the deal agreed when he moved to Portman Road in the summer of 2016.

Webster cost the Blues £700,000 plus Matt Clarke, who is believed to have been valued at £50,000. Pompey will receive an initial £550,000 and a fifth of the ongoing top-ups.

It seems likely that a significant proportion of the cash the Blues receive up front will be available to Hurst to spend on fees, while some will almost certainly go towards wages as well as other payments relating to signings.

Among the likely replacements for Webster are Blackpool’s Curtis Tilt, 26, who was reported to be the subject of a Town bid earlier in the week and we understand there is something in the link.

Shrewsbury's Aristote Nsiala, also 26, has been mentioned in connection with the Blues on a number of occasions, although his former boss Hurst played down those reports on Monday.

Hurst may well want to add two more senior centre-halves, despite having signed Chelsea youngster Trevoh Chalobah on a season-long loan on Monday, while another winger, in addition to Jordan Roberts whose signing on a free transfer was confirmed this morning, and probably another experienced striker with David McGoldrick having left the club in May.

Photo: ITFC

chicoazul added 14:33 - Jun 28 "reinvested" how very disingenuous of him. "I will only have to find the balance against my usual outlay of 7m" or whatever it is in other words.
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TheTrueBlue1878 added 14:38 - Jun 28 The deal is fine as long as it is reinvested. Hurst obviously has his own targets in mind to make it a Paul Hurst team.
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Jewels added 14:46 - Jun 28 Great to see Marcus Evans coming out to talk. I am unhappy with us selling Webster but feel a little better to know money will be spent on players. Personally I cannot wait for the season to start and as long as we play more exciting football and try hard I don't care where we finish. Had far too long watching boring defensive rubbish.
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SouperJim added 14:49 - Jun 28 The problem is this isn't the first time we've heard this from Evans, but it has proven meaningless. If "reinvested" means it will essentially just reduce the loss he has to cover, then we are no better off and have lost a good young player. If Evans would commit to putting a fixed amount in every year, even if that doesn't fully cover the loss, then at least the manager would have a platform to work with and any money from sales would be his to spend as he see's fit. I'm not convinced this is currently the case.

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Kulturarv added 14:49 - Jun 28 Sounds familiar somehow... Will the money from Wickham, Cresswell, Mings and Murphy also be available for Hurst? I can feel the smell of promotion!
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peteswindon added 14:55 - Jun 28 So he cost 750k plus a sell on fee of 750k to pompey leaves 2m after Evans takes his cut we should have approx £11.50p to reinvest.
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jayaps added 14:56 - Jun 28 Think we have fallen for this one before !!!???!!!
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Karlosfandangal added 14:56 - Jun 28 mmmmmm lots on here about how we have sold one of our best players and its Evans making a quick profit....... very much like the sale of Smith no one seems to pick up the fact that they wanted to go. Good luck to Adam, However if his heart is not in it would we get the best out of him
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jayaps added 14:58 - Jun 28 Reinnvested.....as in wages and agent fees
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jayaps added 15:00 - Jun 28 Karlosfandangel......Murphy wanted to go and we were promised a three million striker....nough said
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chicoazul added 15:04 - Jun 28 Karlosfandangal nobody sensible is saying he is "making a quick profit", he is not making *any* profit by owning and running Ipswich at the moment. What I for one am saying is that we have heard this song many many times before but what happens is, the money is used to cover part or all of Evans' annual outlay instead of it being spent on any significant fees. The only *possible* historical point of difference I can think of is we have it on v good authority that we bid a lot of money (for us anyway) for Jordan Hughill. Which did not of course happen.

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jpring89 added 15:05 - Jun 28 To be fair Evans has been true to his word of late. Will have to wait and see but I genuinely believe we will be spending it on fees for players in key positions.
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iaintaylorx added 15:07 - Jun 28 At least this is Evans saying this instead of that bloke Milne, as whenever he says something, it never happens!!
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RegencyBlue added 15:13 - Jun 28 Heard that before but it might be true this time. If Hurst had any sense he would have got cast iron assurances from Evans regarding money to spend before he signed. Time will tell!
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tractorboybig added 15:21 - Jun 28 the lad wanted out, get the best deal you can. anyway worse passer of the ball in a crap team last year.
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marco007 added 15:22 - Jun 28 I just find it strange that firstly we sell our best defender to a rival and secondly that we benefit if they get promoted! Are we not in direct competition with them? Hope Paul Hurst can work miracles! lol
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ArnieM added 15:22 - Jun 28 Good man !
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itfc1981 added 15:24 - Jun 28 Get Rhodes ahead of Norwich! He still loves us, would get back on form and fire us to the PL.
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FromIpswichToPhoenix added 15:52 - Jun 28 Why would the move appeal to him? Other than last season, Bristol has only finished above us once since the 2001-2002 season and that was 2009-10. They spent a chunk of that time in division one. I don't see how this is a step up for him.
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alfromcol added 15:53 - Jun 28 Our back 4 let in goals for fun last season and had no stand out players. One of them has gone, so what? Obviously Hurst didn't rate him too highly or he would have asked Evans to keep him.
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Tony88 added 15:54 - Jun 28 It hasn't taken long for the moaners to come out. I was looking forward to a new start and was hoping the supporters would back the club (the club being Marcus Evans) and the new manager. It has only taken a few days for the moaners to start. Go and support another club and leave Ipswich to the true supporters.
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Millsey added 15:59 - Jun 28 I personally thought Webster was average! Brilliant bit of business and Evans said the cash will be reinvested in the squad!!!!
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jert16 added 16:03 - Jun 28 Heard it all before..
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dugoutdave added 16:10 - Jun 28 Tony88. I agree totally. It does seem to me that the air of optimism which was around last week suddenly goes the minute an injury prone one footed player leaves. The owner then makes a second statement pre-season after having been quiet (and slated for being so) for many years and then when he does everyone calls him a liar. We have new manager plus support staff and have already two new players whilst is way better than in MM's reign and suddenly all the fricking moaning idiots decide they ain't happy. You're right they ought to sod off somewhere else or just shut up moaning and wait & see how the season progresses.

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crazyblue68 added 16:14 - Jun 28 What rubbish Evans spouts. He said it was the start of something new. Instead we sell another player to a club in our own division. Nothing has changed. A new manager, yes, but still selling our better players and hunting out lower league freebies and loans. Whats different there? Something different. Bollox!
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