Town boss Paul Hurst says he can’t guarantee that Martyn Waghorn will still be with the Blues on the opening day of the season, the club having received “firm interest” in their star striker. Last month, TWTD revealed that numerous Championship clubs were chasing the 28-year-old with Middlesbrough and Birmingham City among those keen, while Derby County have subsequently shown strong interest and Nottingham Forest have also been linked and Sheffield United are now reported to have made a £5 million bid.

Speaking in a wide-ranging interview on Mark Murphy’s BBC Radio Suffolk breakfast show this morning, which can be heard in full here, Hurst outlined the position regarding Waghorn, who scored 16 times and recorded 11 assists following last August’s £200,000 move from Rangers.

“I’m not here to try and fool anyone, I never do. There is interest there, firm interest,” he confirmed.

“I’ve said to Martyn that I would like him to stay at the football club, we’ll see how that unfolds.

“I’d love to be able to say, ‘100 per cent, Martyn Waghorn will be in the team against Blackburn’, but I can’t honestly say that.

“But at the minute I don’t think we’re close to meeting a valuation for the player and I’d like him here.”

Hurst says he’d have to spend a lot to find a replacement for the ex-Sunderland, Leicester and Wigan man.

“It was a fantastic deal that Mick [McCarthy] and the football club did to bring him in at that level and also what he produced was fantastic,” he added.

“His stats were arguably the highest in the Championship in terms of goals and assists, so he’s a major player for us.”

Regarding incoming signings, with the transfer window closing on August 9th, he said: “We have [to move quickly]. We’re certainly trying [to get players in]. My phone is in danger of exploding, I’m having lots of conversations and other people at the football club are working extremely hard to do that.

“At the same time we won’t be held to ransom, we’ve got to get value for money, and that’s what we’ll continue to try and do.”

Photo: TWTD

GTRKing added 12:58 - Jul 19 If we do sell Waggy for £7ml+ Hurst should see that money invested in to the squad Not many teams bought many players in the championship yet Let's back the manger & I am sure he will get some good players in Waghorn might not do well next season who knows
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Northstandveteran added 14:21 - Jul 19 A player bought for £200,000 now valued at £5,000,000?! If Mick is still looking for a job could we bring him back to talent spot? 😂 In all seriousness, the vast majority of us wanted a young ambitious manager to build a new team with new ideas. As long as the money is reinvested in the team, I don't see a problem. Also consider the percentage of the transfer fee that Waghorns agent may be promising him. A big payday at 29 might persuade him to leave regardless of his thoughts for the club. I am personally, looking forward to a fresh start under Hurst. Surely our time in the wilderness has to end soon????

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oldelsworthyfan added 15:25 - Jul 19 Yes, we could do with another striker (2 if Waggy goes) and 2 more centre backs, but some of our youngsters have to step up sooner or later. I thought we looked so much better in the final two matches at the end of last season which was with the same players, but playing to a different and refreshing plan. I too would like to see our squad strengthened, but more importantly, it will be how we play and how well our defence is organised that will lead to success.

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FromIpswichToPhoenix added 16:12 - Jul 19 Where in this article does it say that he isn't happy here? I don't get that at all. People are interested, of course they are, he scores goals. That doesn't mean he's halfway out the door.
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dirtydingusmagee added 16:51 - Jul 19 lower league teams would have to sell two or three of their players to buy a quality player from a higher league in hope of progress, we are do the opposite we have to sell one good player to buy two or three lower league players, with same hopes.Come on Mr Evans shell out or get out, You want the silk purse but expect your managers to make it from the sow's ear.We will be treading water at best again, unless you make more funds available.

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runningout added 17:08 - Jul 19 Slightly disappointing we can't build our own decent squad to compliment our good players, but hey ho
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Warky81 added 17:10 - Jul 19 I was reading that Brentford have valued their striker at £16m to deter any interest and he only scored 11 goals and 3 assists last season. If we truely want to keep him the minimum asking price should be £15m. We've already created a small transfer pot with sale of Webster. I'd prefer to sell Balokowski for £3-5m than Waghorn, far easier to replace and a transfer kitty of approx £10m will be enough.

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tpsontour added 17:20 - Jul 19 We've let 12 players go since the end of last season and signed 3. We've lost 20 goals from last season in McGoldrick, Celina and Connolly. If Waghorn goes too, that's another 16 plus 11 assists that accounted for a lot of Garner's 10 goals. The other players remaining from last season scored only 21 between them with Spence second highest scorer on 4 behind Garner. We've signed only a League One winger, a League Two Bosman free transfer winger and an under-19 loanee centre back and there's just over two weeks till the opening match and three weeks till the transfer window closes on August 9 - three weeks earlier than usual. After the club's 'replacement ' of Murphy with Leon Best when he was sold in the 2016/17 August transfer window, similarly called a great bit of business, I can't see how flogging Waghorn now would spell anything other than disaster regardless of whether Hurst is the new messiah or the next John Duncan. And that's even without looking at the other end of the pitch where Chambo is currently our lone senior centre back after the departure of Berra, Smith, Carter-Vickers, Webster. We need quality new additions and fast, not to be selling the little quality we have left

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TimmyH added 17:23 - Jul 19 £200,000?.. I thought it was nearer £900K not sure where you got that from? even that though was cheap, agreed McCarthy did bring in SOME players on the cheap.
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therein61 added 17:23 - Jul 19 I really hope we keep him, but if enough is on the table(and maybe his agent is in his ear big time) to make it impossible to turn down then who knows!? what I do like about our new manager is that he tells the fans what is going on, and not treating us with complete and utter distain like the person in the position before.
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thundercat600 added 18:00 - Jul 19 Here we go, flog off the gold and silverware and replace it with copper and tin
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JamesBlue91 added 19:17 - Jul 19 Paul Hurst OUT!!!!!!!! Might as well bring back Roy Keane. If he lets Martyn Waghorn go that leaves us with 2 strikers so then we'll have no choice but to give Aaron Drinan a game which we should do anyway. We haven't seen anything on here about him looking for a striker. We should have brought in Maurice Steijn. Thats proves to me as I'm sure it does with you that Marcus Evans doesn't give a stuff about our football club.

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jas0999 added 19:26 - Jul 19 Itfchorry - do tell. Do you think this squad is strong enough for a championship campaign? Happy with just three signings? Happy that we seem to be selling or looking to sell our best assets? Also, do you honestly think selling permanent and key players, without any plan to replace is good? We haven't replaced Webster.
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Taricco_Fan added 19:47 - Jul 19 @TimmyH...Mick himself said that Waghorn's fee was nowhere near the £1m figure it was believed to be.
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TrueBlueRich added 20:00 - Jul 19 If Waggy does go we ought to move for McNulty from Coventry.
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TonyHumesIpswich added 20:17 - Jul 19 We have sold, released or loans have ended for all the tolling players across all squads: Crowe Connolly Iorfa Carter-Vickers Goteni Bru Gleeson Hyam Carayol MCColdrick Celina Hayes Blanchfield Patterson Fowler Webster Knight Granted, only 12 of the 17 players above have ever played in the first team squad. But are we happy with just three signings to replace so many players? The present squad is nowhere near ready for a prolonged and hard championship campaign. And now we are looking to sell other players? I'm very concerned, has the club just given up???

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TonyHumesIpswich added 20:27 - Jul 19 If I had to play our released squad it actually looks reasonably impressive: Crowe Iorfa, Carter-Vickers, Webster, Goteni Bru, Connolly, Hyam, Carayol MCColdrick, Celina Subs Hayes, Gleeson, Blanchfield, Patterson, Fowler, Knight Bit weak al LB (though he did end up captaining the U23s) and very light in terms of subs but not a bad team.
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whydontyou added 20:43 - Jul 19 Tony Humes I have to disagree , that team of 17 looks very poor , most were released because they were not required any longer . The only ones that would get in the team on a regular basis would be Carter vickers webster connolly mcgoldrick celina and possibly Carayol although obviously Knight would have not gone by choice if you count loanees leaving you need to count loanees returning i:e Josh Emmanuel and Rowe . Also if you are count youngsters who have not made the grade you need to count the next batch signing their first contracts. This figure won't be far short of fourteen

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dirtydingusmagee added 20:59 - Jul 19 given our results in the friendlies against lowly opposition I must say I am getting concerned , these games against such opposition should really have been ''exhibition'' matches. IF repeat IF Waghorn is sold we will have a hard time finding a replacement, we suffered a goal drought when we sold Murphy without a suitable replacement. Hopefully he stays .
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StokeHigh97 added 21:23 - Jul 19 No wonder on average a manager gets only about 18 months: any negative posts get 3/4 times more reaction than a Win or signing a player: come on give Hurst a chance, I'll not judge his transfer business till 10 August! let's just relax & wait too see who he signs & who may leave:
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GTRKing added 22:04 - Jul 19 If we do sell waghorn (Hurst will only let him go if we have replacement lined up) so for example Waghorn £7.5ml New Striker £3-£6ml Hurts knows what he is doing
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bugledog123 added 22:11 - Jul 19 No please no no no no we can't bloody sell him
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GTRKing added 22:18 - Jul 19 Bugledog £7ml+ is worth it for waggy we can get a decent striker for that money & other players Sheff united sold player for £12 ml they didn't wanna sell so lets see I am sure we will get some more players in
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Jonnosdreadlocks added 22:36 - Jul 19 so two of our best attackers off to Sheffield Utd, FFS, not the start to the season I was hoping for.
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1RWR added 07:52 - Jul 20 Oh Pish! Don't be so negative & please stop grizzling, you're worse than my three year old grand daughter [& that's saying summit]. PH is not here to damage his personal CV, to upset the applecart that is ITFC, he's here to prove himself. I listened to his interview on Suffolk Radio, how refreshing. Trust in him.....please. The future is bright.....the future is Blue.
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