Ipswich Town owner Marcus Evans says he ‘will look at transfer fees’ this summer as the club prepares for a 15th successive campaign in the Championship.
It’s been a season which promised so much but which ultimately fizzled out frustratingly amid vociferous debates about style of play and investment.
Roy Keane and Paul Jewell made several seven-figure signings during their disappointing spells in charge at Portman Road, while Mick McCarthy has spent around £400k on transfer fees during his far more successful three-and-a-half years at the helm.
The players’ wage bill has increased by 25% over the last two years, but Town’s promotion rivals have all splashed the cash on fees chasing the Premier League dream this season.
Speaking via an interview in the club’s programme, which will be on sale ahead of this afternoon’s dead rubber of a match with already-relegated MK Dons at Portman Road, Evans – who labelled Financial Fair Play rules ‘a farce’ – said: “I will look at transfer fees. If Mick identifies a player that will cost us say a million, then we will look at it and discuss it.
“In addition to that, we lost some good players in the past who were out of contract (the likes of Gareth McAuley, Grant Leadbitter, David Norris and Damien Delaney) and I decided that top of my list is to invest in players who have proven themselves as being regular members of the team and that involves paying competitive wages and not allowing them to run down their contracts (Daryl Murphy, Cole Skuse and David McGoldrick among those to sign new deals in the last year).
“I will look at transfer fees and we made a substantial bid for a player in January that was turned down but I will always weigh up how best the money we have available can be spent.”
Having recently handed McCarthy and assistant Terry Connor new contracts that run until 2018 – with the option to extend them to 2020 – Evans added: “I see the biggest factor in owning a football club as having a duty to the supporters to make sure the club is stable and free from controversy and then providing the right conditions for a manager to work towards a long-term plan.
“We are constantly looking to build and improve for the future and continuity of management is a huge factor in that.”
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