McKenna's Gut Feeling No More Ins or Outs Before Window Closes Friday, 31st Jan 2025 14:44 Town boss Kieran McKenna isn’t anticipating any further ins or outs before Monday’s 11pm transfer deadline.
The Blues have made three signings during the window but with no third number nine, the position many felt it was most vital to strengthen.
Asked whether he felt Town had done enough over the course of January, the Blues boss reflected: “I don't think you'll ever feel like you've done enough as such. We've tried to improve the squad. The three players that we've brought in have, we feel, certainly improved the squad.
“We've recruited a player in Jaden [Philogene], who we feel can have a long-term impact at the club as well.
“Julio [Encisco, on loan from Brighton] and Ben [Godfrey [on loan from Atalanta] are two players with more Premier League experience who can help the squad for now. And we're in a better position than we were on the first of January.
“Of course, we want the squad to be as strong as possible and in an ideal world there could be one or two more pieces of movement. But it's a really difficult window to be in the position as a football club and the climb that we've had.
“We've added three players who certainly improve us, and if that's the end of it until the end of the transfer window, then we'll crack on with what we've got with a competitive squad that is going to fight and perform to the end of the season.
“And if we can make any late additions that could bring us to another level, then we'll try and do so.”
But McKenna isn’t expecting any further business as it stands: “If you asked what my gut feeling is, I think the squad is there or thereabouts where it’s going to be. That’s my gut feeling. That doesn’t mean the club aren’t working very, very hard on different situations to see if there is an area where we can improve.
“But at the moment, my feeling and my focus is that the players that we have here is most likely going to be what we go through the end of the season with and what we’re going to compete with and we’re ready to go.”
Regarding exits, with speculation that Conor Chaplin might join the likes of Harry Clarke and Ali Al-Hamadi in moving out on loan, McKenna says he’s similarly anticipating a quiet few days.
“Where’s Chappers going? News to me!” he laughed. “I wouldn’t expect there to be any more outgoings, to be honest. In football you can never say never, but I wouldn’t expect there to be any more.”
TWTD
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Blooos added 14:59 - Jan 31
Im sorry but if we dont sign a 3rd striker thats absurd. One injury to delap or hirst and we are done for. Why let a striker go if we arent going to get one in? |  | |
Bazza8564 added 15:08 - Jan 31
Im with Blooos, and Im sorry but if you expect KM to say anything other than he knows nothing then you're deluded. Im not expecting any more exits but I would be really surprised if we don't sign a striker to replace Ali, no way we would have let him go otherwise. We all know the club likes to play cards very close to chest on transfers in, I really don't know why we ask.... |  | |
Stato added 15:10 - Jan 31
This window we just saw the funds spent that we were trying to spend on the last day of the last window. It wasn't the level if ambition many had hoped for and the revised squad shows no sign of being able to gather more points than the previous version. A mixed bag of good and not so good recruits this season. Delap an unexpected but huge success, Muric a waste of money that should of been spent more wisely, Hutchinson and Morsy haven't deserved their ever present status and only Delap and Davis have looked like they should be playing for a least mid table side. Most of the signings look good for the bounce back strategy that seems to have been plan A all along. Sell sulky Hutchinson but keep Morsy when relegated. Not a great season so far for McKenna who is dithering on his substitutions compared to pre seasons and has given too many minutes to Burns and others at the expense of Chaplin who has outscored and provided more assists than any other players in the KM tenure. I just hope in the summer the club tells McKenna he must sign 2 players he fancies mire than Morsy before he is allowed to sign an ever growing list of support players for positions immediately behind Delap |  | |
cressi added 15:16 - Jan 31
Sorry but not good enough window , Hirst is always close to a injury. |  | |
Leejames99 added 15:18 - Jan 31
Mckenna is brilliant and giving nothing away, he isn't going to tell the media anything, especially in regards to strikers, every club wants one. Smoke and mirrors that, Graham Potter said yesterday its easy to get players in its just finding the right one. I wouldn't be surprised if someone like Adebayo from Luton comes as Luton are recruiting new striker. No panic I think there will be dominoes knock in effect with strikers. Morata is going to Galatasary which leaves Batashuyi free who we have been linked with. We offered 20 million on last day of last window for Latte and there are definately good strikers who would be sold for 20 million. Very clever Mckenna and quite right too. Worst case scenario I think Broadhead would be fine in number 9. We will sign someone. COYB |  | |
SuperTabby added 15:27 - Jan 31
There’s still a bit of a wait and see with the window, maybe we’re keeping our cards close to our chest a bit. It’s not easy bringing in players in Jan, especially in the premier league. A lot easier in the championship when you can have 5 loans in your squad. Having said that, with both Ogbene and Wes out for the season, and only two strikers in the squad, surely we have to be bringing someone in. Hirst has missed out on a lot of football in the two years he’s been in the club, an injury to him puts even more strain on Delap, who had injury issues last season. As well as that we look weak in the middle of the park, so definitely at least 3 areas that we could really do with improving. |  | |
Cadiar added 15:28 - Jan 31
Some really dumb comments, especially Stato's. Chaplin was brilliant in League 1, good in championship but is he good enough to be a regular starter in the Prem? I wonder where people think we are going to magic a CF from who's going to score regularly, who is better than already at PR, I agree we do need more firepower but these sort of players cost big money & we still have PSR to comply with even if its irrelevant to the status quo like Man City or Chelsea. |  | |
blues1 added 15:29 - Jan 31
My god, wharmtcis it with some fans. How many times do managers, not just of our club, but all,clubs, have to say how hard this window is to sign players? If, for example, arsenal are struggling to find a striker, why do fans think it's gonna be easy for us to do so? They've been trying all window. Ideally we will still get some1. But if we don't, we have options to play up there if necessary. Szmodics, broadhead, Encisco can play there. Yes,we may have to adjust how we play the ball up to them, but they can all do it. Every january fans on here are saying it's been a poor window. Well, all been wrong the past 2 years, and ur wrong again. Overall it's been a good window. Cant always get everyone you want tho. And that goes for every club. |  | |
Leejames99 added 15:33 - Jan 31
Here come the haters! Downfalls IMo Morsy, Burns, Chaplin, Hamadi not prem quality. Hutchinson being f played out of position. Muric being g berated by fans when he has only conceded 7 goals as his fault in 2 seasons, England number 1 has been at fault for 20, Sanchez 8 etc Changing team every week to find a slot for Burns. If people are underwhelmed with signings in window that's madness, Ensico turned down our rivals and big clubs to come here, Phillogene will be great, Godfrey super experienced. We will get a striker I'm sure, and look at Leicester, Wolves, Southampton, Everton, Crystal Palace, Spurs they have signed 1 or 2 or recalled loans be patent folks. |  | |
Elpelly added 15:37 - Jan 31
Would be surprised if we weren’t working hard to bring in one or two more quality players, given that we’ve still got a decent chance of avoiding relegation. |  | |
blueboy1981 added 15:46 - Jan 31
What happened to the usual Wags predicted ‘incomings’ in this Window ? - I’m not at all surprised to be honest. |  | |
billlm added 15:48 - Jan 31
It would t surprise me, but could be kidology |  | |
Dissboyitfc added 15:50 - Jan 31
The point some are making and I agree with, why let Ali go? We need better and he is not good enough ATM but is better than nothing if Hirst gets injured and or Delap gets suspended, can see him picking up more bookings! |  | |
FrankMarshall added 16:30 - Jan 31
At the bare minimum we should be looking at bringing a striker in for Ali. 1 injury and we'd need to bring in Buabo again (and he isn't ready for Premier League football). I'd be surprised if we were not also looking at someone to replace Burns. Maybe the intention is to have Enciso in that strikers role? He's been given the number 9 shirt but he's played most of his career so far in midfield or on the wing. When he has played as a striker he's always been one of 2 (not on his own). Can he hold the ball up like Delap and Hirst? I honestly have no idea. |  | |
BeattiesBackPocket added 16:41 - Jan 31
Wow just read some of these comments on the twtd fb page and again it’s just plain embarrassing. So far I’ve seen ‘Delap isn’t even championship quality’ ‘Were preparing for championship football’ ‘Had all summer to get a striker in but wasted it chasing Broja’ ‘Ashton isn’t good enough’ it’s laughable!! 1. When Delap goes to a top club in the summer like the ones he’s being locked with he’ll prove that wrong. 2. We’ve brought in 3 players including two Jan TWO of which are attackers one of which has also played up front 3. We brought in Delap when the broja deal wasn’t good enough for us 4. This one’s probably the most idiotic that Ashton isn’t good enough! He’s been our best signing under the owners and our turnover has gone from 30 million when he came in to well over 300 million THATS HIS JOB but no not good enough. People on this site have said they want this physical presence up front who then?? Who do you want that will also as some have put ‘blow you away’ as a signing. People really need to stop playing fifa and be realistic. The most we can hope to get is a championship striker who won’t blow anyone away on here because we are in a relegation fight. Part of me thinks Hirst can do this if he stays fit and we keep the striker money for the summer when IF we stay up we will be able to get a much better and bigger prospect in as we will be established a little more and be more of a pull but no one top notch or from a better prem side will come here yet. I don’t want to waste money on a panic buy that won’t be better than what we already have. I know we’ve been linked heavily with the Brazilian Igor Jesus but will he come until the summer probably not. A minority on here and FB really need to wobble their heads and get realistic |  | |
wischip added 16:45 - Jan 31
(Touches side of nose) Nice one, gaffer. |  | |
SuperTabby added 17:18 - Jan 31
BeattiesBackPocket I agree with a lot of what you’re saying. The only thing I’d disagree on is a striker, McKenna has said before that he wants “three strikers in the building”, I really like that we’ve brought Enciso in but he’s never played there. A lot of people like to think Szmods was a no9 last year but he didn’t ever really play there, he always had someone to bounce off. So we only have Hirst and Delap to play as the no9. I’m not saying that we need to go and sign Haaland, but we could really do with another option. I think we may have missed a trick not bringing in someone like big Kieffer for relatively little in the summer. Ashton has very rarely let us down, so let’s see what happens between now and the end of the window. He’ll be more aware than any of us on what we need to bring in. |  | |
Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 17:35 - Jan 31
Very many teams are looking for players. It ain't easy and there's no point signing someone who doesn't fit for whatever reason. Trust the set-up and leave it to the professionals. |  | |
MK1 added 17:48 - Jan 31
2 out and 2 in then. McKenna loves a wind up. |  | |
armchaircritic59 added 17:58 - Jan 31
It's all very difficult. I've actually spent quite a bit of time on websites, one in paticular, that have detailed stats on all players in Europe and beyond. I've looked in particular at strikers, English, French, German, Spanish etc. There certainly are plenty out there, some a bit under the radar I think, and of course many will simply be unavailable or out of our financial reach. Whether they fit the exact profile KM is looking for I don't know, and I'm presuming the club now has rather more access to detailed data then I do! We have bought in two attacking players in Philogene and Encisco, but we have now lost two since the start of the season in Ogbene and now WB, so they cancel each other out, number wise at least. There's no doubt just one medium to long term injury to either Delap or Hirst, could put us in a very difficult position, as if we aren't in one now! I'm absolutely certain MA and KM are looking for someone, but the right one at the right price and is actually available, is not an easy juggling act in January. I believe we need it, we may just have to accept we may not get it. |  | |
bricor2011 added 18:02 - Jan 31
Delap is almost a cert to get booked every game, I think he's two away from suspension now , then we have one striker. |  | |
BeattiesBackPocket added 18:18 - Jan 31
Supertabby as I said mate who?? Noones giving a striker away for free or cheap in Jan that’s always been the problem. Anyone good enough is in a prem squad already? |  | |
Bert added 19:05 - Jan 31
Three in is much more than our competitors in this mini league. Yes we are light up front but we have the ability to play Encisco just behind and the same applies to Broadhead. There is no doubt that if we were to lose Delap or Hirst we would have a mountain to climb but strikers don’t grow on trees. |  | |
SuperTabby added 19:09 - Jan 31
There’s more than just the Premier League and the Championship for strikers, and I’m not saying they need to be as good as or better than what we currently have. Last player we went for from outside of England was Cajuste, and he’s class. A lot of the issues here are that we haven’t built that scouting network. But they’ve had a few months now so surely they’ve had a look at a few options. |  | |
KiwiTractor added 07:55 - Feb 1
What number 9 does everyone expect us to sign in January, that would score enough goals (with limited service) to keep us up? I'm hoping for otherwise, but fully expect us to go down - I'm hoping we can keep the bulk of these players together to bounce back at the first attempt (and that won't be easy), and with the previous EPL experience and hopefully adding a bit more quality to the squad, we will have a much better chance to stay up next time round. |  | |
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