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Cook Ready to Offer Contracts
Wednesday, 24th Mar 2021 11:50

Town boss Paul Cook says he, owner Marcus Evans and general manager of football operations Lee O'Neill have already started to discuss who will be offered new contracts with more than half of those with professional deals having their terms coming to an end this summer.

Young right-back Barry Cotter departed the club earlier in the week, presumably to give him time to find a new side back in his native Republic of Ireland where the season is about to start, while 26 other players* have contracts which are up in the close season.

Asked whether contracts will start to be offered to those players he wants to keep hold of now rather than waiting until later in the campaign, Cook said: “One hundred per cent. If I felt now that contracts can be offered out to players that I believe can be here [next season], 100 per cent we’ll start offering contracts out.

“It’s something that Marcus the owner, myself and Lee are discussing daily, every two days. We’ve got a good meeting again tomorrow morning.

“There’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes and I think our supporters can be excited and happy with that.

“I don’t like lads being out of contract, I genuinely don’t. The reason why so many lads here are out of contract is because people aren’t happy with where we are. That’s the brutal truth of it.

“Because the majority of players I’ve worked with, I’ve never had them out of contract, I don’t allow it.

“Going forward, I’m screaming for lads to say to me, ‘I want to be here in the future, I want to be part of this success story’.

“And I think going forward we will start offering contracts out and I’m sure, as you can imagine, there will be other players leaving the club, 100 per cent.”

He added: “I will make those decisions. I don’t agree with the decisions [being delayed] because I’ve been in that player’s chair. I’ve sat in the manager’s too when a manager will tell me, ‘well, we don’t really know what’s happening, we’re going to wait until the end of the season’. I would be a bit more brutally honest with my players than that. You can be rest assured.”

*Luke Chambers, Cole Skuse, Stephen Ward, Emyr Huws, Freddie Sears, Kayden Jackson, Teddy Bishop, Alan Judge, Toto Nsiala, Janoi Donacien, James Wilson, Gwion Edwards, Aaron Drinan, Tristan Nydam, Ben Morris, Ben Folami, Harry Wright, Idris El Mizouni, Liam Gibbs, Bailey Clements, Levi Andoh, Adam Przybek, Bert White, Kai Brown, Zak Brown and Tommy Hughes.

Town have previously confirmed they have options to keep Skuse, Ward, Sears, Bishop, Judge, Nsiala, Donacien, Wilson, Nydam, Morris, Folami, El Mizouni, Clements, Andoh, Przybek, White, Kai Brown, Zak Brown and Hughes.

As previously reported, Town have offered a new extended contract to Gibbs, who doesn’t have a year’s option on his current deal.


Photo: Matchday Images



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TimmyH added 11:55 - Mar 24
Huws, Ward, Sears, Jackson (unless he shows up from now on in), Judge, Drinan and Skuse would be the senior players I would show the door.

All these players better shows us what they can do from now to the end of the season if they want to stay here...
0

bluechelmsford9 added 12:25 - Mar 24
So if the above is true, we don't have a unilateral option to keep the likes of Jackson and Edwards (to name a couple). It's a shame because Ipswich may have been in a position to cash-in and recoup some of the transfer fee spent on them, if these players are surplus to requirements. Instead we have no bargaining position and they will likely leave on "frees". This happens all too often at Ipswich.
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RopeyAdvice added 12:35 - Mar 24
“There's a lot of work going on behind the scenes and I think our supporters can be excited and happy with that."

I would like to know what he means by this. Or would I be thinking too much in to it?
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90z added 12:37 - Mar 24
I know people have their opinions on Chambers and mine is he shouldn't be offered a new contract as good a captain he may be, he just makes far to many mistakes. Sometimes I just think he restricts our team and the way we want to play. But I think he is good for our club and his team mates just not on the pitch anymore!
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Edmundo added 12:38 - Mar 24
All too often we've left ourselves in a weak position to negotiate. I'd say the last time we were savvy about all this was twenty-two years ago, when we cut our cloth accordingly and didn't show our hand regarding how much or how little money we have.
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TractorFrog added 12:44 - Mar 24
I definitely think we should keep Drinan. He fits perfectly into Paul Cook's system and while he may not be brilliant now, he is considerably better this year than in the past, and you can tell that there is a lot of potential in him. We should also definitely keep Bishop, Nydam, most of the young players, Judge, and two of Nsiala, Wilson, Chambers. Trigger extensions for Jackson, Donacien and maybe Skuse too, although I think he should be a coach next year.
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Bazza8564 added 12:50 - Mar 24
Bishop is maturing, keep him, personally I think Jackson will show us a bit more in these last few weeks of the season and I think we will keep him too. Judgey for me plays with real heart and Edwards has the potential and i suspect those 2 are 50-50, but I dont see any future for Huws, Skuse, Chambers Sears, Donacien, Ward and possibly even Drinan.
Don't know enough about the younger lads but at best keep half send most will need to go out on loan.
The question we have to ask ourselves is how many will we be bringing in as well? Cookie will have a list and id be surprised if he doesn't look for 5-6 so we need to be losing 12 plus the loans out for kids with long term potential or value.
I think with loanees and the youngsters we have 55 at under 18 level and above at the club at the moment, that feels way too high.
Again, we live in hope that ownership change will mean money to spend, if not, how can we realistically expect to improve the squad unless PE decides a final throw of the dice is warranted. Look there's me getting silly again...... :)
4

Dockerblue added 13:03 - Mar 24
9Oz, agree 100% Chambers has to go, he hasn't done enough to earn a new contract. Too many mistakes and not young or fit enough to get up and down the wing.
I,d disagree that he,s a good captain also, he doesn't have the winning mentality of a Butcher, Mowbray, Mills or Magilton or leadership. Time for change! PC needs his own team, own Skipper.
20

Suffolkboy added 13:16 - Mar 24
Direct , uncomplicated, honest ,enthusiastic for the task ,and about his football plus the ‘family ‘he wants to create and build at ITFC .
Everything to date says this is a well matured Manager with the soundest of principles and thoroughly honest intentions ,both for and towards each and all of the members of Staff .
Let's give him our unfettered support and trust as he reshapes ITFC and builds on the strengths ,as I'm certain he will .
What a refreshing attitude to reviewing and extending or terminating contracts so that every individual can plan forward with their own certainty ( which IS important where families , education and domestic needs are concerned ) .
COYB
14

dunkz84 added 13:23 - Mar 24
I would keep edwards, skuse, chambers, Jackson and judge who has particularly improved his game over the last few weeks. Problem is once we lose all the loan players and potentially this lot of players we will very few senior players left and I'm pretty sure Evans ain't going to put up enough funds to bring in a whole new 11. Barely stumps up cash for one player
-10

ArnieM added 13:27 - Mar 24
As regards to certain players who we might have liked to keep, but who could potentially walk away on a freebie in the summer. That may well happen . But I'd put my house on it, that it will be last time we lose our ( supposedly better players), for nowt, whilst Paul Cook is here. And let's be honest we are talk8mg about Jackson, Edwards and I'm not sure if that also included Downes, but what really have they offered us for the last 2-3 seasons anyway? No player is “ irreplaceable “.
4

Countryboyblue added 14:36 - Mar 24
Jackson has to be one of the first one's to leave. Nice fella I'm sure but playing in two leagues above his ability. Sears time is up, as is Huws, Donacien, Dinan, Ward. Other players who has question marks on them : Tota (liability) Bishop (inconsistent) Chambers (age) Skuse (age) Holly (too slow & hesitant)

I would let all the loans go back but try and keep Matheson.

Basically a bl**dy food clear out!
7

shakytown added 14:46 - Mar 24
i think a lot more players will be kept than people think but on much reduced contracts. i hope Huws is at least given a few games to prove whether he can get back to where he was but he will have to show Cook he wants it on the training ground as well same as a few others.
2

ArnieM added 15:03 - Mar 24
Tbh when Huws came back k into the team earlier this season he looked a pale shadow of the glimpses we'd got of him when he first arrived. Personally, I'd say he's finished at the game at any reasonable level ( I may be wrong of course), but he'd been here four years snd played approximately 15 games. Ridiculous waste of money for an injury prone player .. nice one McCarthy 👍!
4

Nobbysnuts added 15:04 - Mar 24
Shouldn't take long... kvy and Norwood..the rest can get lost
4

Karlosfandangal added 15:20 - Mar 24
To be fair the players who contracts are up have got us relegated and mid table league 1 twice
So not bothered if they all go and town start again.

Saying that some of the younger members have looked promising but are they good enough for the Championship
6

BeattiesBackPocket added 15:25 - Mar 24
Bluechelmsford9 I've been saying this for years! We wonder why our debts so much bigger since evans came in it's due to the club letting assets go for b@gger all and we've done it as far back as Norris, leadbitter all players who's contracts were let run down and left for zero money! Successful businessman yes but good at running the business of a football club sh!te! Now more assets let go for nothing that we've paid some kind of fee for! It beggars belief some fans don't see the poor business decisions making our debt bigger!
6

BeattiesBackPocket added 15:27 - Mar 24
Now UEFA have scrapped financial fair play let's see if we get any investment now as it's been one excuse for not investing past 10 years
8

atty added 15:45 - Mar 24
So many out if contract, so those where there is no option have sale value. We've been here before
of course but with better players. This time round it's probably a good thing given a big clear out is required.
5

multiplescoregasms added 15:49 - Mar 24
PC is experienced enough to know what he wants in his players, and if the club were to release most of them I really don't care. As a squad, they are clearly not mentally tough enough, and some just aren't up for the fight of getting us out of this division, and I get the feeling mental toughness is something PC wants in his players. Hopefully, we will see a big personnel change over the next few months.
7

Ipswichbusiness added 16:13 - Mar 24
As others have observed above, when a player reaches the end of his contract he can leave for another club on a free transfer.

How then has it come to this? We should have decided who we want to keep months ago.

If our players are so good, why haven't they been approached by other clubs or approached other clubs?
8

therein61 added 16:27 - Mar 24
I bet the two crawlers have been in Evans ear about contracts before your discussions Paul.
9

SteveDt added 16:33 - Mar 24
Chambers , Skuse. Sears , ward , Donacian Judge , bye bye
5

DifferentGravy added 16:33 - Mar 24
Blimey, I would be getting rid of so many of them. Particularly some of the senior players who are over the hill/ not contributing nearly enough and probably on a decent wage - Luke Chambers, Cole Skuse, Stephen Ward, Freddie Sears, Kayden Jackson etc. That would save a pretty penny or two. The problem is.....you need to ensure you at least have players to fill the void.
10

SteveDt added 16:35 - Mar 24
Forgot Nsiala
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