Ipswich Town manager Paul Lambert is clear on his January recruitment strategy following a meeting with owner Marcus Evans yesterday.
Lambert has already stated he believes the Blues ‘need a little help’ in the January transfer window, with the Scot admitting his squad is ‘unbalanced’ in a number of areas.
He spoke with Evans yesterday, with Lambert hoping to add a couple of new faces rather than overseeing a complete overhaul as he bids to move the Blues away from relegation trouble.
“I think we are unbalanced in a lot of areas, that’s my opinion and certainly not a slant on anyone, but we’re top heavy in some areas and very, very light in others,” he said during an appearance on BBC Radio Suffolk.
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“If lads get suspended we don’t have the cover or the depth in it.
“That’s something that needs to get fixed but Marcus has been great. We had a really good chat with Marcus yesterday and with Lee (O’Neill, academy manager) and we know exactly where we want to go and we know the strengths and weaknesses of it.
“He’s been great and I have to say he’s been brilliant since I’ve been here so it’s up to us really to drive the bus and get this place going.”
Lambert is conscious of not disrupting the mood in the camp when it comes to recruitment, with a player’s character seen as being as important as his ability on the pitch.
“Sometimes the best recruitment is not to bring anybody in because it upsets the apple cart,” he said. “We’re playing really well at the moment but that’s not to say we won’t look for somebody to help.
“I want to do it right and for it not to put the club in a position and upset everything that’s going on.
“You can’t do it (overhaul the squad), because it takes time for a whole new team to gel.
“Plus you have so many different characters in there and you have to find out if they are good guys or if they are going to come in and upset everything. You can’t have it because it’s not good for the club or anybody.
“In an ideal world, in each transfer window, you’d bring a couple in rather than seven or eight because that’s too many.”
Lambert was asked if Germany, where he played for a year with Dortmund, or Scotland may offer recruitment opportunities.
“Because I played there and had a successful time but I think what you’re seeing now is that the level of money has changed in the game and sometimes you have to look abroad to see what’s there as well,” he said.
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“But they’ve got to be the right players for the club, you just can’t go and buy somebody that’s a really good player but is maybe a little bit difficult to manage. I don’t think that’s good for anybody. You have to get the right characters in the club and they have to want to be here. That’s important.
“Obviously you’ve got the big ones up (in Scotland) that are still strong but I think the Scottish game gets unfairly criticised at certain times,” he continued.
“There are still one or two good players but whether you can get them nobody knows.
“But that’d up to me to try and see who I can actually get at the football club and try and get people into the football club that I think can do us a job.”
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