Tyreeq Bakinson: Ipswich sign midfielder on loan

Bakinson signed for Bristol City in 2017 and has made 53 appearances for the club

Ipswich Town have signed midfielder Tyreeq Bakinson on loan from Bristol City until the end of the season.

Bakinson, 23, joined the Robins in 2017 and spent time on loan at Newport Country and Plymouth Argyle.

This season he has made 14 appearances, including 10 starts, for Bristol City and scored once.

The agreement with Ipswich includes an option to make the deal permanent at the end of the loan spell.

"It's a massive club which is going in the right direction, so I'm buzzing to be a part of it," Bakinson said.

"Everyone at the club is very ambitious so it's definitely something I'm very excited about.

"I'm a hard-working player who likes to get on the ball. I'm a box-to-box midfielder and hopefully I'll get a goal or two. I want to play as many games as I can and help the team as much as possible."

In November the Robins activated a one-year contract extension in Bakinson's deal to keep him at the club until 2023. But as news of the loan move came out, Robins manager Nigel Pearson was dismissive of the player and his desire to go elsewhere.

"As far as I'm concerned and I've said it before, if players don't want to be here they can go. I'm not bothered," he said.

"He's a player who, unfortunately, just wants to play on his own terms. It's not something I particularly want, so he can go.

"I don't waste energy on negativity, it drives me mad. If people aren't in the side I want them to work hard to get there, I want people who are in the side to work hard to stay there.

"I don't want people when the going gets tough, they want to go somewhere else. I'm not interested."

Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna said of Bakinson: "Tyreeq is a versatile midfielder who can play across the pitch and cover a number of positions.

"He offers us something different and is at an age where he has lots of years ahead to improve further.

"We really like Tyreeq as a player. He's young, hungry, athletic and technical. He is fit and has played plenty of games already this season, so it won't take him long to get up to speed."

Bakinson is Ipswich's second signing of the January window after goalkeeper Christian Walton signed a two-and-a-half-year deal.

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