Ipswich fans were pleasantly surprised when they saw the news that former Wolves player Stephen Hunt looks likely to be joining the club until January.

The Irishman was rumoured to be signing over a month ago, but Mick McCarthy disregarded these rumours at the time by stating that he didn't need another left winger with Jay Tabb, Ryan Tunnicliffe and Anthony Wordsworth all able to play there.

At the same time McCarthy did admit that Hunt was a quality player and if things changed at Ipswich then he would take him.

After analysing these comments the question we have to ask is; what has changed to make McCarthy want to sign him?

We all know that Tunnicliffe is currently being played out of position on the left wing and is much better utilised in a central position. But would it be better to switch the Manchester United loanee to the centre and start Wordsworth or Tabb rather than a sign a completely new player?

It appears that the Ipswich boss hasn't been too impressed with Wordsworth so far this season as he has hardly played at all and struggled even to make the bench at times. Jay Tabb is a solid player and great to have on the bench, but you wouldn't want to be relying on starting him every game. Additionally, these players are also not natural wingers and I believe they are also much better in central midfield.

Due to the teams apparent lack of quality in that wide left position it makes a lot of sense to bring Hunt in. I am guessing that the signing did not happen earlier as the wide man had more potentially lucrative options open at the time. He was linked with a move to a few clubs but after they had a change of heart I'm guessing McCarthy offered him a low wage short-term contract just to get him some game time before January.

Looking at the situation from the former Reading man's point of view it becomes clear why he signed for Ipswich now, as once the free transfer deadline passes he would be ineligible to play for anyone until January. This would harm his chances of getting a good long-term contract with any other club and have a very negative effect on the remainder of his career.

However, if he signs for Ipswich until January he can get a couple months of game time under his belt and properly put himself in the shop window.

It appears likely that Hunt won't be getting paid much right now as he needs us a lot more than we need him. Not to say he is the only one benefiting from this situation. Everyone will be delighted to see a natural left winger join the club and boost the number of options we have in midfield. The fact that the club is doing it very cheaply is a nice bonus.

I'm not convinced that the Irish wide man will make a huge impact at Portman Road but I think it's a win win situation for Ipswich. If Hunt looks like he isn't good enough we will probably let him go but if he plays well, then as we already have him at the club we might be able to keep him for longer.