Gwion Edwards is concentrating on scoring goals rather than his contract situation as he enters the final months of his Ipswich deal.
The Welshman, back in the side after injury, is out of contract this summer after the club took up their 12-month extension option last May.
Edwards cost Ipswich £700,000 when he was signed from Peterborough in the summer of 2018 but the winger has revealed there have been no discussions regarding an extension to his deal during the course of this season, at a time when he still leads Town’s scoring charts on five.
He's one of 19 first-team players not contracted beyond this summer, along with a string of Ipswich's younger professionals.
“I’m just concentrating on playing,” he said, speaking after Town’s 1-0 home loss to Sunderland.
“I’m enjoying playing again and I’m playing on the left, so all I can do is try to add goals to the team. Whatever happens then, happens.
“Nothing has been discussed since last year, maybe a little bit in the summer, but I’ve not personally heard anything since.
“I was happy to carry on playing this year and see how the season goes, give my all and do my best for the team. I’d guess we’d then discuss it in the summer.
“I’m enjoying playing football, I’m playing in my best position and if I can get back to scoring goals I’m sure it will come up at some point.
“I’m not looking into it too much so if I can add goals to the team that’s all I will concentrate on, rather than contracts or where I’m going to be next season. Whether that’s here or somewhere else.
“Ipswich is a great club to be at and I want to help get us back to the Championship. I didn’t come here to play in League One, I signed thinking we’d be in the Championship but now the task is to get us back there.”
Edwards’ return to the Ipswich side has been a welcome one, with the Welshman excited to be given an opportunity on his favoured left flank and to link up with wing-partner Luke Thomas following the latter’s arrival on loan from Barnsley.
“It’s great to be back out there,” he said. “Obviously it’s frustrating with the results but we will keep on trying as hard we can.
“I want to be getting those goals or putting crosses into the box to set someone up because I was flying before I got injured in training.
“I feel good and hopefully I can start putting some chances away. We’re not getting any luck out there and we’re struggling for strikers, but all I can do is try my best and I’m confident we can get goals.
“It’s been nice to be on the left. I don’t mind playing on the right but I’ve played on the left all my career and that’s where I’ve scored most of my goals this season from there.
“Luke (Thomas) looks a good player and he’s started well, has put a shift in and has something about him. Hopefully he can go again on Saturday and add something to the team.”
Defeat to Sunderland has seen Town drop to 10th in League One, with manager Paul Lambert under pressure as the Blues’ promotion bid stutters for the second successive season.
“The gaffer and the players know what football is like – you need to get results,” Edwards said.
“We all need to stick together and keep working hard to try and turn it around.
“We completely understand why supporters are frustrated. We’re frustrated and we want results because I think we should be in the Championship.
“Where we are in the league is not where any of us want to be but we have to stick together and hopefully the fans will be with us too. We want to do it for them and get back up into the Championship and give something back to them.”
On the Sunderland defeat, which looked inevitable after Kayden Jackson’s 10th-minute red card, Edwards said: “It became a very difficult game after the red card. I don’t think Kayden meant to do it but it’s then very difficult to go on and try to get something from the game.
“I think the lads put a shift and we looked like we were going to get to half-time at 0-0 – maybe then we could have taken something from the game. With a 11 on the pitch I think we would probably have got something from the game.
“It’s frustrating for us all but we have to stick together and keep going. Hopefully we get that bit of luck to turn things around to string some results together and there’s no reason we can’t do that.”
_____________________________________________________________________________
Ipswich Town contracts
Season-long loans
McGuinness, Bennetts, Thomas, Harrop
2021
Donacien*, Chambers, Ward, Huws, Judge*, Wilson*, Sears*, Jackson*, Bishop*, Nsiala*, Nydam*, El Mizouni*, Wright, Skuse*, Edwards, Drinan, Przybek*, Folami*, Morris*, Cotter, Clements*, Gibbs*, Andoh*, Z.Brown*, K.Brown*, Hughes*
2022
Downes*, Norwood*, Lankester*, Kenlock*, Ndaba*, Crowe*, Smith*, Simpson*, Crane*, Holy, Nolan, Cornell*, Hawkins*, McGavin*, Chirewa*
2023
Vincent-Young*, Dobra*
2024
Woolfenden*, Dozzell*
*known to have a 12-month contract option
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