Ipswich Town manager Paul Lambert doesn’t envisage any more players leaving the club on loan before the January transfer window closes.
Jordan Roberts, Danny Rowe (both Lincoln City) and Janoi Donacien (Accrington Stanley) have all departed on temporary deals until the end of the campaign and many have questioned whether more would follow out the exit door.
Lambert has brought in six signings at the start of the new year, meaning not a single one of predecessor Paul Hurst’s permanent signings have started the last two matches.
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The Blues boss insists that the likes of Kayden Jackson, Jon Nolan, Ellis Harrison and Gwion Edwards all have a role to play over the coming weeks.
“They are very much still part of it,” said Lambert. “They’ve got to force their way in the side again and stay in it. That’s how it works in football. You’ve got to have competition and people breathing down your neck.
“What I don’t want is people who, at the first sign of adversity, are thinking ‘can I go?’. No you can’t. You stay here and help. That’s football.
“We can’t let everybody go out. For everybody that is still here it’s all hands to the pump, as they say.
“I don’t view anybody as being more or less important than anyone else. Everyone who is here is every bit as important as each other.
“At this moment in time, unless something else crept up, I don’t think anybody else will be leaving.”
We understand there has been loan interest in Nolan, Jackson and Edwards, though Jackson wouldn’t be able to join anyone else other than Accrington due to the rule that states you can only play for two clubs in one season (he played the season opener for Stanley).
Town have seen Tristan Nydam and Josh Emmanuel return from loan spells at St Johnstone and Shrewsbury Town respectively this month.
On Emmanuel, Lambert said: “He’s done well, Josh. He’s a big, strong lad. Not too bad on the ball. I need to see more of him. I can’t make my mind up within 10 days or so.
“At this minute in time I’m looking to keep him with us.”
Asked if his own January business was finished, the Blues boss said: “We can’t do anymore loans because we’ve got the full limit. You never know, something might pop up we think is worthwhile. We’ll see what happens.”
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