Ipswich Town chief Mark Ashton has explained Kieran McKenna wants to sign a specific profile of young, hungry players he can develop.
Ipswich Town are enjoying a great return to the Championship. They currently sit in 2nd place in the division and look well placed to make a run at promotion to the Premier League.
A big reason for Town’s success has been the astute management of McKenna, who after securing promotion from League One last season, could well win a second successive promotion as manager. That would be a remarkable achievement, especially in modern football.
The chances of winning promotion to the Premier League could depend on the signings that are made in January, and Ipswich Town chief executive Ashton has now discussed McKenna’s criteria that players must fit.
He told the East Anglian Daily Times:
“We recruit the best players we possibly can in every single window.
“Kieran has his technical and physical specifications. We try and get the balance right with players who have got more experience and players who are young, hungry and who he can develop. That won’t change.”
Ashton also disclosed that McKenna doesn’t want to bloat the squad with too many players.
“He’s very clear with me on where he wants to add to the squad in January, but he also talks about the balance of his squad all the time. We’re at a full 25-man squad at the moment, so someone has got to come out of that squad for someone to go in.”
A very considered approach
McKenna seems to take a very considered approach to everything he does at Ipswich Town. That is certainly true when it comes to signing players.
On the face of it, it looks like the manager only wants to tweak his squad in the January transfer window. That makes a lot of sense, as the current squad is performing exceptionally well at the moment.
There could well be clubs interested in the Ipswich Town squad, but as Ashton explains if someone leaves then another player will come in, which seems like a logical yet sensible.
It will be interesting to see just how much transfer business the Tractor Boys do in January. Whatever McKenna wants to do, it looks like the club will back him all the way.
