Town boss Kieran McKenna has revealed that young striker Tyreece Simpson has told the club he wants to move on in the summer.

The 19-year-old was recalled from a loan spell with League Two Swindon in January having netted 11 goals for the Robins having turned down the offer of a new contract with Town. His current terms are up this summer but with the club having an option for a further season.

It been anticipated that the frontman would return to the County Ground at the end of the month if a deal was agreed but no agreement was reached and the player’s agent has now told the Blues he wants to leave in the close season.

“At the moment Tyreece is not training with the group,” McKenna said. “His representative spoke to the club a couple of weeks ago and expressed his wishes that he wants to move on in the summer, so he’s not training with the first-team group at the moment and that’s now the responsibility of the club to work with his representation and decide on a solution to that one.”

Asked whether that’s a disappointment with Simpson presumably having been someone he would have been looking forward to working with in years to come, McKenna said: “As a football club, we know the direction that we’re going in. We can only make that clear to young players in terms of how we see their development pathway, what opportunities there might be and then people are free to make the decision from there.

“At the moment that is [with] Tyreece and his representation and that’s now for the club to organise and speak to him on.”

Is there any hope of a resolution being come to or is that it, he’s definitely now going to go in the summer?

“I think that’s now a situation for the club now, to be honest,” McKenna said.

“Tyreece is a 19-year-old young man. He’s still very early in his career and I don’t think it does anyone any favours to speak about it too much or speculate in too much detail about that any further about that than what’s been said, so I think that’s the situation as it stands and that’s now between Tyreece and his representation and the club.”

It seems likely Town will activate the option in Simpson's deal in order to achieve a fee for him in the close season, a figure which is likely to be higher than the compensation which would be due if he otherwise joins another club.

Speaking about the situation with Simpson at the Fans' Forum last month, CEO Mark Ashton said: “What I would say, it’s wrong of me to talk about any individual player’s contract, but one thing I can promise our supporter base is that I will fight tooth and nail for this football club.

“This football club will not in any shape or form be agent or representative led. It doesn’t work. Doesn’t work for me, won’t work for this ownership group.

“Ipswich Town will decide where its young players go, what’s best and what contracts are put in front of them and how that works and how that pathway works to the first team.

“And it’s the same for the senior boys. We have good relationships, most of the agents across the world, we have a big wide network, and I think if you look at the careers of myself and people around me, we’ve been really successful in what we’ve done in player trading.

“Our job is to protect this football club and at times that’s tough, and it’s a tough world with agents at times.

“But we have to protect the football club and if we don’t show strength at certain times, trust me, our football club will get walked all over. I’ve seen it time and time again.

“We need to do the right thing, nothing’s ever personal, sometimes it’s business. My job is fundamentally to protect Ipswich Town Football Club and that’s what I will do right until the last second I’m here.

“But we try and do it in the right way, by the way, we have good relationships with most if not all agents and they’re happy to bring players here because we do contract and pay people in the right way, we incentivise them, we develop those contracts and on the playing side you’ve got coaches who will develop them.

“As Kieran said, this football club will be a really appetising place for young players to come for many years ahead.”

Simpson has made four league sub appearances for Town plus two EFL Trophy starts and one game from the bench.

Photo: Matchday Images

shefki86 added 14:39 - Apr 21 Many examples of young ‘talent' moving on and then never being seen again, can't say I'm particularly bothered with this one. Only time will tell whether Simpson is being advised correctly
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iaintaylorx added 14:47 - Apr 21 Big shame and this is where it seems agents are ruining the game! Agent has probably been in his ear, a young lad who has had a good loan, saying he can get a better contract somewhere else, meaning his agent will too!
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jollyroger added 14:49 - Apr 21 that's strange I thought he would be ready for a good go at first team squad . may have been told there will be new strikers coming in the summer
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Bazza8564 added 14:50 - Apr 21 Sadly this young lad is being bullied by his agent and it is going to bguarantee a sad end for him here. If I were the club i would take up the option on him anyway, let's see what the agent does then.
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LegendofthePhoenix added 14:55 - Apr 21 I have a little sympathy for TS as he is only young and has no doubt believed that his agent is working in his best interests. Agents like this are the scourge of football, complete parasites ruining the careers of promising young footballers because of their greed. I agree 100% with Ashton's words, it is a great shame as we could have done with TS and he sure as hell could have done with us. But ITFC are so much bigger than one player. We have to let this go.

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Blue_badge added 14:55 - Apr 21 Shame that we won't see if he can perform OK via a couple of sub appearances to start with, but otherwise not too fussed - a few goals at a lower level and, I suspect, being led badly by his agent. Club should now protect itself - take up his option and see which clubs, if any, come calling
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BlueBlood90 added 14:57 - Apr 21 The grass isn't always greener. To me it would seem a no brainer to sign a new deal and either impress in training and get a chance in the first team or go back out on loan for another year and come back ready. A big gamble for him.
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BlueNomad added 15:01 - Apr 21 MA is spot on. This is about an agent wanting a new extension on his house. The club is bigger than any individual, and certainly a 19 year old with four substitute appearances.
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tractorboybig added 15:03 - Apr 21 bye bye onwards to oblivion
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WalkRules added 15:05 - Apr 21 I live in Swindon and went along to a few games at STFC with my partner. It was a pleasure to watch him develop and, I confess, a shame to not see him play out the season. Given how much he was missed by the fans when he left I would love too see him back there next season. He was unhappy to be pulled back “for contract reasons” in the new year and we will never find out the true meaning of that. Let us be positive and wish him the best - there are always two sides to every story I fear.

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Veggie added 15:07 - Apr 21 Short termism by Simpson and or his agent and shows no respect or loyalty to ITFC. Hopefully his professional career will disappear without a trace.
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WalkRules added 15:12 - Apr 21 Wow @Veggie - I'm sure TS would feel the same about your career as well if he read that. We will perhaps never know the true story here so the speculation about agents, attitude or even the club is just that - speculation. Let us just wish the lad well for his future.
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ringwoodblue added 15:12 - Apr 21 Irrespective of whether his decision was heavily influenced by his agent or not, he wants to move on and good luck to him. I'm only interested in players who want to stay at the club and fight for their place but I continue to be concerned about the lack of opportunities our youngsters seem to get.
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Grimsbyblue added 15:24 - Apr 21 We will never know the exact details, but it does show those that were calling for him to get a first team game that there is more to it than we knew. Not sure many will still be wanting him to be given a game now. Badly advised by his agent and now only time will tell if he made the right decision
4

abandon_hope1978 added 15:25 - Apr 21 Same crap, different season .............. how we wept when Charlie Brown went, when Ben Knight went, when Lewis Gibbs went, and now Simpson. Does anyone know where they are now ??? Sad to see it, but that's the reality of promising youngsters, agents and football these days.
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TimmyH added 15:29 - Apr 21 ...and that's why McK wasn't playing him the last couple of games, would have liked him as part of the squad for next season as he had a good loan period at Swindon.
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cressi added 15:33 - Apr 21 Look no more goals than Aaron Drinnan got at Orient at Xmas In league 2 my view if you don't want to be here good bye sorted
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ArnieM added 15:37 - Apr 21 Don't you just love agents. Bloody parasites in the game.
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Jugsy added 15:43 - Apr 21 Like with anyone, your career direction is your choice. Certainly doesn't bother me if players want to go. If players fight to stay and win the shirt, of course we love that but the reality is that it's his job and he needs to do what's best for him. Just a shame we can't all have an agent to negotiate our wages…
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N2_Blue added 15:56 - Apr 21 Simpson comes across as a bit of a knob through all of this i hate to say. He wants to move on from a club on the up that has a shortage of strikers and he hasn't even tried to make a go of. Really odd. Disappointed in him especially as he is a local lad and he want to my old school (Langley). I'd love to wish him luck but i can't. The club has nurtured him he could at least give it a shot, to want to move on without even trying says a lot.

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Len_Brennan added 16:06 - Apr 21 One way or another he has been badly advised. Nothing wrong with a young player being confident & ambitious, and as a striker you'd want a bit of arrogance in him, but he could sorted out a contract, gone back to Swindon & still gotten a transfer in the summer if he did well. Of course the chance of a better signing on fee & agent's fee would come with a lower transfer fee for a player (almost) out of contract. As Blueblood90 says, the grass isn't always greener. Anyone know how 'next big thing' Kundai Benyu is getting on these days? Did he even get a sub appearance in the league for Celtic in the end?

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MaySixth added 16:15 - Apr 21 I only saw him play about three times for us but he looked well off the pace.
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yorkieblue62 added 16:35 - Apr 21 Agree with all the comments about parasite agents & young players who see the bright lights far too prematurely. We now need to see if the manager is true to his word and gives some of the youngsters who want to play for us a chance when they merit it.
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grumpyoldman added 16:56 - Apr 21 Let's all get this into perspective, he has potential but unproven at his level, he does not want to stay, he has probably been influenced by his agent. Because of his age and the fact that we have offered him terms we should be compensated, similar to when JET joined from Arsenal we would have got him for free but Arsenal offered him a contract we had to pay a fee. Len Brennan research shows Kundai Benyu is playing at low level in Finland.

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cat added 17:01 - Apr 21 Much speculation on here but the bottom line is why keep someone who don't want to be here.
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