Town have confirmed the departure of keeper Vaclav Hladky, the 33-year-old having been unable to agree new terms at Portman Road.

The Czech had been in discussions with the club regarding new terms since January and had said on a number of occasions that he wants to stay at Portman Road.

However, he and his representatives were unable to agree a new deal with his current contract up yesterday.

Czech reports earlier this morning revealed that no agreement had been come to and Town have now confirmed Hladky’s exit.

“Vaclav Hladky has left the club following the expiration of his contract,” a statement on the official site reads.

“The club thanks Vas for his time at Town, and he departs with our very best wishes for the future.”

The Brno-born keeper joined Town from Salford in the summer of 2021 and went on to make 70 starts and one sub appearance for the club.

Having been second choice behind Christian Walton for most of his time at Town, an injury to the former Brighton man late in pre-season last year saw him start 2023/24 as the regular number one.

With his confidence on the ball becoming a key element of the way the Blues played, Hladky played all bar the dying seconds of Town’s Championship promotion campaign, earning plenty of plaudits along the way.

Portman Road’s keeping ranks could be set for a major overhaul this summer with the Blues known to be looking for a new number one.

Walton could potentially move on for first-team football, while Cieran Slicker has said the next stage of his development is a move on loan with Scottish clubs Kilmarnock, Ross County and Partick Thistle all believed to be keen.

The Blues have been widely linked with Brighton’s Carl Rushworth, while Luton’s Thomas Kaminski was reported to be a target yesterday.

Photo: Matchday Images

Eeyore added 11:56 - Jul 1 MISTAKE
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Taricco_Fan added 12:13 - Jul 1 He had the season of his life and we should always be thankful for his contribution to what was one of the best sides in our history. Some genuinely world class saves and many contributions to goals starting with ball at his feet. An excellent footballer in his own right I wish him all the best for the future. That said, I don't believe he would have cut it in the Premier League. The mistakes - of which there were many - would have been ruthlessly punished at this level. He would have been a part of the Czech squad at the Euros and not merely a pundit if he was considered Premier League standard by their national coach. We need a 'keeper with some experience of either the PL or a top European league.

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tetchris added 13:01 - Jul 1 OK at championship level but not good enough for the PL. His distribution is poor and he takes risks with the ball at his feet which he managed to get away with it a few times last season but PL strikers will be more clinical. We can’t have a GK who gifts the other teams goals. Some of his best saves last season came from mistakes he made trying to play out from the back. We need better next…..

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Rsj13 added 13:02 - Jul 1 I feel like I may be in the minority here, but I'm not too disappointed by this. Vas undoubtedly made some great saves, but many of these were his own doing. He had a bit of a penchant for blocking balls into danger zones that, in the PL, I think would be punished. When I look at the truly world class 'keepers, they're great because they keep things simple. They make world class saves when they need to, but they didn't need to because their anticipation is better. (Granted, they often have equally good defenders in front of them, which helps!). Simply, they don't need to make as many world class saves, because they don't get into that bind in the first place. In the same way that Vas looked shaky when he first arrived and then improved dramatically, it will be interesting to see if Walton has improved with the ball at his feet. That said, there is no doubt that we're in the market for a new #1, and Walton is surely planned to be a backup. Finally, if the disagreement is about not guaranteeing game time, this strikes me as very odd - and kind of a confidence issue. If you need it guaranteed in your contract, is that because you're afraid to fight for the right to play? If I were to work in a truly "performance based" environment (i.e., sales), I wouldn't expect a guaranteed bonus. Best of luck to the lad, but the PL feels like a rung to far for him.

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Gazelle added 13:56 - Jul 1 I can see both points of view, a two year contract was very fair for a 33 year old be Vaz is obviously looking for a big pay day. Now we need a new keeper and I’m afraid Walton looked a bit shake in the few games he played last season.
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Westy added 14:05 - Jul 1 Sorry to see him go but considering we signed him from Salford we did him a favour too and who, after Christian Walton's injury, could not say that he did a fantastic job. It seems a shame, but it is the way it is, that if a team gets promoted to the Premiership, half the players that got the Club there won't feature in it.
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Paulc added 14:13 - Jul 1 Does anyone else feel that the club have been very understated in this announcement? I would have thought they would have heaped a little more praise on him given the role he played in our promotion. Yes he made some errors but he saved some lost points too. I get he's probably not quite prem standard and if he need first team football then this move is inevitable, but a bigger thanks is not too much to ask.

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Bazza8564 added 14:25 - Jul 1 The deal he was offered in January and the one supposedly still on the table until June 30th was a one year deal, and my understanding is that all the contracts from the squad included significant pay rises for the PL. (Hence we will see Ladapo most likely paid off rather than loaned because his money) goes up so much in his final year. At 34 Vas isnt going to get a 3 year PL deal anywhere and frankly why would the club want him for longer with Slicker the obvious number 2 after a year out on loan. It just doesnt fit for Vas or for the club, let him go somewhere he can play the last years of his career as first choice somewhere. We bought him, and Walton, when we were struggling to get out of league one. Now we can afford, and need, much better. Walton will be gone soon expect two incoming

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Maltster added 14:54 - Jul 1 I still belive that Walton is the better keeper of the two and I hope thathe is given a chance
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GavITFC added 15:04 - Jul 1 Yeah I agree PaulC, I feel like the statement from the club was a little bit cold tbh considering he was an integral part of us being promoted last season. Whatever the reasons he hasn’t signed a new contract, I would like to think he goes with all our best wishes and thanks for what he’s helped this club achieve.
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Linkboy13 added 15:29 - Jul 1 The only keeper i know who is better with his feet than his hands. Yes he makes great saves all keepers do but the best keepers make fewer mistakes Hladky for me didn't catch the ball enough for me to many parries saves for the camera. He doesn't dominate his area enough and this makes defenders nervous. If he was that good the club would have bent over backwards to have kept him and not been looking at other keepers.

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bucket99 added 15:30 - Jul 1 It's a shame, he outperformed most people's expectations last season. In terms of the timing, I wouldn't mind betting Kieran already knows who'll be between the sticks for the first game.
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Telford_Blue added 16:02 - Jul 1 He was great last season and I admire the fact that he kept the absolute sure fire starter, Walton,. out of the team. However, I have never thought he was a premier level keeper. Brilliant saves yes but the odd error too that will be punished far more ruthlessly now than ever before. First thing I said to my lad when he said 'where do ITFC need to strengthen now you've been promoted?' was keeper for me. It seems incredibly harsh and I am grateful to Vas for his steriling efforts last year but we won't stay up on sentiment and clearly town have a plan or they would have pulled out all the stops to keep him....

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Marinersnose added 19:38 - Jul 1 I assume the fans calling for Walton are new fans who didn’t watch Ipswich when he was between the sticks. He cannot kick a ball. His confidence died at Charlton when we drew 4-4 and he gifted 3 goals. He’s nowhere near a PL keeper or a Championship keeper.
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virginblue added 19:40 - Jul 1 People criticising Vas for his distribution are comedy gold. If you didn’t like that then you shouldn’t want McKenna in charge. That’s the style he wants us to play, and to put that on the keeper is just bizarre. Let’s not forget that without Vas taking a risk Wes wouldn’t have scored the EFL goal of the season.
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churchmans added 20:29 - Jul 1 Cooper from plymouth is a very good call @facefacts
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Nomore4 added 21:54 - Jul 1 Facefacts…you need too. Cooper is arguably the best sweeper keeper outside the PL.
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Dog added 22:33 - Jul 1 Morsy also a free agent today??
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algarvefan added 23:25 - Jul 1 Considering his sweeper/keeper role Hladky made very few mistakes last season and in my opinion was excellent at that side of the game, starting off some great 'Mckennaball' goals. It was his general goalkeeping ability that sometimes worried me,. None of us know exactly why he has failed to sign his new contract, I'm not that worried as long as we sign capable replacements, a good solid keeper is essential for us in the Prem and I'm not sure we have that in Walton. I'm impressed by our signings so far, lets hope the quality continues. I wish Hladky all the best for his future in the game, I hope he doesn't live to regret not staying.

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brian_a_mul added 14:22 - Jul 2 My guess is KMcK wanted Vas to compete with a new incoming GK for #1. At 33, Vas may have wanted to be nailed on #1 but probably knows he would end up being back up keeper. Maybe this is why they couldnt agree terms. Sounds like its not meant to be from here on. Regardless, Vas will go down as a club legend! Thank you Vas and best of luck!!
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