McKenna: Cajuste is a Player We Like a Lot..
Town manager Kieran McKenna answered that ‘it would be obvious’ when he was asked whether he would like to have on-loan Napoli midfielder Jens Cajuste at Portman Road next season with the Sweden international a player he and his staff like a lot.
Cajuste, 25, has been one of the club’s outstanding performers this season with fans citing him as one of the leading contenders for the Player of the Year award alongside Liam Delap and Dara O’Shea.
Town are understood to have paid a €1.5 million (£1.3 million) loan fee for Cajuste with a mandatory €12 million (£10.2 million) buy-out had they stayed in the Premier League.
Quizzed on whether he would want the Gothenburg-born schemer and whether that might be possible following relegation, McKenna said: “I think those conversations are for down the line. Would we like to have Jens at the club? He’s somebody else’s player, so I never like to answer too much, but I think it would be obvious.
“I think he’s been one of the top performers this season and to do that in a team that’s found it a big challenge and with some injury issues that he’s been carrying and in a new league and new country and everything, I think it’s a testament to his quality.
“Of course, he’s a player that we like a lot, but he’s Napoli’s player, he’s here on loan. Any conversations to the contrary, I think they won’t take place until the end of the season.”
McKenna: Certainly a Possibility Delap Will Be an Ipswich Player Next Season..
Blues boss Kieran McKenna has reiterated that it’s not a fait accompli that Liam Delap will leave Town this summer but believes the striker is capable of going on to play for the biggest clubs in the world.
The 22-year-old, who has scored 12 times in his first Premier League season having joined the club on a five-year deal from Manchester City for an initial £15 million in the summer, is expected to leave Portman Road following Town’s demotion to the Championship, which looks set to be confirmed this weekend, with his contract including a £30 million relegation release clause.
Asked whether the England U21 international’s future lies away from the Blues, McKenna said: “That’s not where certainly our focus is. I don’t think it’s where Liam’s focus is. His focus is on trying to get back to full health and get ready for Newcastle.
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“It’s a great game for him as it is for the rest of the boys never having played at that stadium before. I know he’s really looking forward to it.
“Liam’s in the same boat as everyone else. He’s focused on the here and now, on the big games that we have and not too far in the future.
“If we put mental energy into that, if any player put mental energy into that, then it would be impossible to provide what we’re going to need on Saturday.”
Chelsea and Manchester United are the leading contenders for Delap’s signature, while Saturday’s opponents Newcastle are also now being linked, and it seems accepted that the Winchester-born frontman will be joining one of the Premier League’s bigger clubs in the close season.
“I don’t know who it would be accepted by because it’s not by myself or Ipswich,” McKenna added. “His mindset isn’t there. Liam’s focus is still here and finishing the season as strong.
“And, as I’ve said before, I think there’s certainly a possibility that he’s an Ipswich player next year. So, I don’t think anyone’s decided on anything in anyone’s mind.
“Can Liam play for the biggest clubs in the country, the biggest clubs in the world? He certainly can, I fully believe that.
“He’s already shown the impact he can have at Premier League level in a team that has been fighting for everything. And I think he can have an outstanding impact at this level.
“But he’s also very young and he’s playing his first season of Premier League football. He’s not played a huge amount of minutes as a leading striker in a team before. And he’s still learning and getting better all the time.
“So, what’s right for Liam, what’s right for Ipswich, all those factors will come into play in the summer and the right decision will be made.
“But he’s happy and he’s developing really well here. And he has the potential and I think he will in his career go on to do some really, really good things.”
Pressed on how strong the chances are Delap will remain at Town, McKenna added: “That’s for conversations with the club, myself, Liam, his people and his family. So, I think that’s private.”
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