Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna insists his promotion heroes fully supported the club's decision to bring in a dozen new players this summer.

It was largely the same squad that secured back-to-back steps up the pyramid from League One to the Premier League, that band of Blues brothers writing themselves into club folklore.

However, the likes of Cameron Burgess, Massimo Luongo, Wes Burns and Conor Chaplin may now have to settle for a place on the bench in the top flight following the arrival of 12 new players at a cost of more than £100m, while George Edmundson and Marcus Harness have been loaned to Championship duo Middlesbrough and Derby respectively. 

Asked if the transfer window, which closed at the end of August, had been a distraction for his players, McKenna responded: "It’s not been too difficult. I think every individual situation is different. In our position, every player that is here wants to be here. Nobody wants to move, everybody is so excited to be here and focused on the next session and trying to make an impact. It’s probably more difficult if you have squad where players are positively looking to move on, which certainly wasn’t the case with any individual here. 

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“I don’t think it’s been a big problem. New players coming in can create a distraction, but I don’t think that’s been the case here. I think the group of players we have here all wanted the group to get strengthened. They wanted help and support over the course of the season. They wanted the club to be ambitious.

"They’ve welcomed the players really, really well as they've come in. When you bring in good characters, as we have done, that integration tends to be a lot smoother. 

“I don’t think we’ve had too much distraction. It’s just a matter of time and work now. That’s what we’ll have to utilise to the maximum effect over the next weeks and months."

Ipswich have had 10 players away on international duty over the last few days. McKenna's men, who have taken one point from their opening three Premier League games, return to action with a game at in-form Brighton on Saturday.