Ipswich Town have made five summer signings so far. STUART WATSON takes a look at how much room for manoeuvre is left when it comes to EFL squad rules.
RULES RECAP
Clubs in the Football League have to submit a fresh squad list whenever a transfer window closes.
Championship clubs can name a 25-man squad, but clubs in League One and Two are limited to a 22-man squad.
It sounds restrictive, but that number does not include goalkeepers or players who were under the age of 21 at the start of the calendar year.
INS AND OUTS AT TOWN
Paul Cook named the maximum 22-man outfield squad when last summer's hectic transfer window closed.
New boss Kieran McKenna cut that to 19 by the time the January transfer window shut (Hayden Coulson, Scott Fraser, Jon Nolan and Toto Nsiala leaving, with Tyreeq Bakinson the only 'senior' January addition).
Six of those 19 players - Joe Pigott, James Norwood, Macauley Bonne, Bersant Celina, Bakinson and Tom Carroll - have since departed.
(Brentford loanee Dominic Thompson was classed as underage then, though is now a 'senior' player).
Five players have arrived so far this summer. Freddie Ladapo, Dominic Ball, Greg Leigh and Marcus Harness are all 'senior' players, but Tyreece John-Jules (who turned 21 in February) isn't.
COMING OF AGE
19 - 6 + 4 = 17.
That number rises to 21, however, when you factor in that three players on the books turned 21 last year - Rekeem Harper, Idris El Mizouni and Tommy Hughes - while Corrie Ndaba has returned from a loan spell with Salford City.
TOWN'S 'SENIOR' OUTFIELDERS
17 + 4 = 21. The 'senior' outfield players at Ipswich Town are as follows:
George Edmundson
Luke Woolfenden
Janoi Donacien
Cameron Burgess
Corrie Ndaba
Kane Vincent-Young
Greg Leigh
Matt Penney
Sam Morsy
Lee Evans
Dominic Ball
Rekeem Harper
Idris El Mizouni
Wes Burns
Marcus Harness
Sone Aluko
Conor Chaplin
Kyle Edwards
Tommy Hughes
Freddie Ladapo
Kayden Jackson
JUGGLING ACT
Speaking after last weekend's friendly win at AFC Wimbledon, Blues boss Kieran McKenna said: "We’ve still hopefully got a couple of additions to make.”
Known targets Leif Davis and George Hirst, aged 22 and 23 respectively, would both count towards the squad limit.
It's not impossible the Blues look for another attacking midfielder too after failing in their attempts to bring Celina back to Portman Road.
Bringing two or three more in before August 31 would mean having to cut one or two of the current crop.
The arrival of a left-back, whether that's Davis or someone else, could well see Matt Penney move on.
Might El Mizouni, who has been deployed in an unfamiliar right-back role during pre-season due to strong midfield competition, be loaned or sold? He's now in the final year of his contract.
The versatile Hughes has done superbly to get back on the fringes of the first team after almost two years out through injury and was picked out for praise by McKenna following last month's pre-season win at Needham Market. You would, however, have to say he's the leading candidate to not be registered (as was the case with Myles Kenlock and Ben Morris last year). Under-23s football or a loan away looks the most likely next step for him.
Former England youth striker Morris has been given another year at Ipswich, but doesn't appear to be part of the first team plans as he works his way back from two long-term knee injuries.
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