Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna keen to bolster attacking options in January transfer window amid links to Aston Villa winger Jaden Philogene
While he would not be drawn on speculation surrounding a move for Jaden Philogene, Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has conceded that he is keen to add to his attacking options during the January transfer window.
Having tried to sign the winger during the summer, reports have suggested that the Tractor Boys are among the frontrunners to seal a loan deal for the 22-year-old this month.
Asked about the prospect of bringing Philogene to Portman Road at the second attempt, McKenna said: “My focus is on the players that we have here. We’re still working really hard with the players that we have, the players that we’ve had for a long time and the players that joined us in the summer – that’s where my focus is.
“Of course we’re trying to add to the squad in this window, as every team is.
“We want to make the squad better, not just for the second half of the season but for the long term so we’re going to look to do that in the best way possible.”
However, McKenna was more open when it came to discussing the potential of bolstering the final third of the pitch.
Ipswich have relied heavily on striker Liam Delap so far this season and while the summer addition from Manchester City has carried the responsibility in impressive fashion, McKenna is eager to ease some of the burden.
He added: “It’s an area (up front) we need to add to. It’s an area we wanted to add to in the summer window.
“Earlier in the summer we made some good additions but we still would have liked to added maybe one or two more pieces in the forward areas.
“George Hirst has missed over the 19 league games, maybe 11 or 12 of them. That’s a big loss and it’s put a big burden on Liam Delap as a really young striker.
“Thankfully he’s handled that burden well but we still want to add in different areas of the pitch and we want to add more goals in the forward area if possible.”