Slaves to Mercenaries

Ipswich continue to look to expand their playing staff, spreading the net quite widely trying to attract the requisite level of talent. But the club are finding themselves associated with the more mercenary end of the market. Darren thinks its inevitable.

Another week, another name.

But you cant argue that Ipswich Town Football Club appear to be chasing players with pedigree these days. Players that most fans have to acknowledge they have heard of before and know at least something about.

The club seem to have reached a bit of a cross-roads in terms of the players they are now in the market for. Previously, the clubs main avenue for new players was within the championship and below, searching for players with something to prove, or the ability that deserved to play at a higher level.

Now, we seem to be targeting an altogether more immediate market. We are looking at players who are already well established at this level or indeed at a level above. Which means we are starting to move into that altogether different world- that of the mercenary.

Inevitably, to attract a player of the quality we seem to be looking at, particularly if they are already comfortably employed at a higher level (or even, in some cases, at the same level), there needs to be something to attract them. The promise of a decent shot at promotion and Premiership football is not immediately enough for these players.

Money talks.

This is not the fault of the club in any way, its an unfortunate reflection of that particular market. Its something we would discover were we to win promotion and want to improve the squad to stay up. Only we are experiencing it a bit earlier as a result of the money at our disposal.

Despite the club themselves releasing relatively little information about the potential deals, there seems to be a steady stream of daily news about the players in question, no doubt circulated by a busy agent desperate to try and raise the profile of his client and attract the interests of other, higher paying, clubs.

First there was Emile Mpenza, where many Ipswich fans perhaps thought a deal was imminent. With hindsight, it appears it was never really all that close, but an agent busily readied the press with as much news as they needed. Then there was Angelos Charisteas, a player reportedly being offered a large wage and a deal which seems to have far more intent in it from the point of view of Ipswich Town. Yet stories perpetuated about the players reluctance to move to ipswich, his interest in a move to a fellow german side and then his interest in a move to england, all over a couple of weeks, before the player himself actually made any comment at all (he wants to stay where he is, thank you very much). Rudi Skacels fate has followed a similar path- he is definitely signing, hes off to speak to german clubs, hes having a think about his future, hes back at southampton, hes back at Ipswich again.

And were it not for the fact hes one of our own, Richard Wright would fall into the same category; so many words spoken, yet almost no discernable comment from the player himself at all. And thats over two summers aswell.

At the end of it all though, we perhaps have to acknowledge that, in order to compete in this market, get the players we want and, ultimately, win promotion, we are going to have to accept that some players really might only come here for the money. And if we do win promotion, nobody will really complain, will they?