Ipswich Town move goalposts regarding Conor Chaplin's Portsmouth loan - despite 'likely to stay' admission
Conor Chaplin looks likely to stay at Pompey until the end of the season - but Ipswich recall remains a possibility
Ipswich Town have extended the deadline by which they can recall Conor Chaplin from his Pompey loan.
Keen to ensure their interests are protected, the Tractor Boys have taken the decision to defer the matter by another week.
Speaking on Friday, boss Kieran McKenna has admitted the 28-year-old forward will likely see out the remainder of the season at Fratton Park, with the Premier League promotion-chasers having 10 forwards ‘thereabouts fit’ for their upcoming games against Blackburn Rovers and Bristol City.
But with the Northern Irishman conscious of the impact an injury picked up by one of his attackers might have on their ambitions over the second half of the season, the Portman Road side have adopted a more cautious approach to Chaplin remaining on the south coast.
Instead of sticking to the original ‘D-day’ deadline of this week that was agreed when the Blues academy product returned to the club in the summer, Ipswich have renegotiated a new deadline, believed to be next week.
What Kieran McKenna has said about Conor Chaplin
Following discussions this week, McKenna told the EADT: ‘We have 10 forwards in the building who are all thereabouts fit, while Conor's playing week in, week out at Portsmouth, so I think the likelihood is that he will stay there for the remainder of the season.
‘But you, of course, want to leave things as long as possible because should the situation change here for whatever reason, should the situation change there for whatever reason, you always want to have the benefit, for the player really, to make a as late a decision as possible.
‘I think there's a deadline next week or something like that. The clubs have communicated now this week a little bit and they're planning to have him for the rest of the season. That's as it stands at the moment.’
John Mousinho on Conor Chaplin
Chaplin has featured 21 times for the Championship-struggling Blues following his August return and is still to register his first goal for the club.
With just one assist to his name, concerns over the loanee’s form have grown as the season has progressed.
But speaking this week to The News, Mousinho said fans were beginning to see Chaplin having a real impact on the team as he gets more game time in his preferred No10 role.
'We’ve now had enough games with Chappers in his preferred position for him to really get going and fit in the team well,’ said Mousinho.
‘He’s definitely affecting games, we just haven’t had the output in terms of goals and assists that Conor would like, let alone what we would expect. He’s definitely had a massive effect on us, though.
‘Prior to that Bristol City game we had a good run of results and a good run of games, albeit that small run of games and four games undefeated with two wins. Taking eight points from four games at that time of season for us was important, because teams at bottom started picking up results and teams in the middle didn’t.
‘We needed that and the fact we’re two games short of a lot of sides, so the contribution everyone is making in terms of morale, but particularly Conor, is great.
‘I think the season is ahead of Conor, that’s very much what we’re focussing on.’