Ipswich Town have signed five players so far this summer. STUART WATSON outlines the three big priorities for strengthening and who has been linked...
CENTRE-MIDFIELD
Current options: Sam Morsy, Massimo Luongo, Jack Taylor, Cameron Humphreys.
Morsy and Luongo have been an intense and effective double pivot for Ipswich Town over the last 18 months. The former sits deep, protects and can drive his team up the field. The latter operates more as a No.8, often drifting left, to disrupt and link.
Set to turn 33 and 32 respectively in September, can they step up another division together? Time will tell.
Jack Taylor is a more attack-minded option for the Luongo role. He may yet be seen as a rotation option for Conor Chaplin in the No.10 slot though (that's where he likes playing best).
Cameron Humphreys, meanwhile, is surely set for his first senior loan spell away. The 20-year-old needs regular game time to develop.
What's needed: With Dominic Ball and Lewis Travis both having departed, a back-up option for Morsy (who is guaranteed to be suspended at some stage) is required.
Of more importance is someone to really compete with Luongo for a starting spot. A big, powerful ball carrier would be my preference.
Missed out on: If Leeds had beaten Southampton in the Championship Play-off Final then Flynn Downes would be an Ipswich Town player again.
The Blues tried hard to persuade the win-it-pass-it athlete to return to his boyhood club from West Ham, but ultimately the 25-year-old chose to sign permanently for the Saints, in an £18m deal, having been there on loan last season.
Linked to: At the very start of the off-season, The Sun reported that Ipswich, Fulham and Luton were interested in Coventry City playmaker Ben Sheaf and that the fee required for the 26-year-old would be 'in the £10m range’. Mark Robins responded by saying it would take ‘record bids’ to sell any of his key players (they sold Viktor Gyokeres for £17.5m last summer). On Tuesday night, Sheaf limped off in a pre-season game against Stevenage with an ankle injury. It's unclear how serious that is.
Back on May 8, TBR Football reported that Ipswich were 'ready to make early moves to try and land' Sunderland duo Dan Ballard and Pierre Ekwah. Frenchman Ekwah is a 22-year-old midfielder who enjoyed an impressive debut campaign for the Black Cats after spending time in the academies of Chelsea and West Ham. Italian club Udinese were said to have submitted a bid for him on July 16. The Sunderland Echo reports that West Ham would be due 35% of any profit they make on Ekwah (who joined for a nominal fee).
On May 25, a report from Info Sport, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, stated that that Ipswich were interested in Watford midfielder Edo Kayembe. There's been no talk around his future since then.
On July 15, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reported that Ipswich would be keen to take Tanner Tessmann on loan should he move from his current employers, Venezia, to Italian giants Inter Milan. On July 20, it was reported that the switch to Inter had collapsed, with Tuttosport reporting the player had been 'overly choosy about where he’d be playing next season'.
The 22-year-old is a two-cap USA international keen to progress his career ahead of a World Cup in his homeland in 2026. He's 6ft 3in, composed on the ball and comfortable using both feet. His highlights reel shows plenty of sumptuous long-range passes and dangerous dead ball deliveries. That was certainly on display when he impressed in an Olympic match against France on Wednesday. Everton, Chelsea, Brentford, Celtic, Feyenoord, Torino, Parma, Bologna and Como have all been linked. I'd be excited if Ipswich could pull this off.
INSIDE LEFT FORWARD
Current options: Nathan Broadhead, Omari Hutchinson, Marcus Harness.
Broadhead has suffered an unspecified injury in pre-season that prevented him joining the rest of the squad during the recent week-long training camp in Austria. Given he needs to see a specialist, there's a chance he might not be fit for the big kick-off.
Hutchinson did have the odd game on the left side for Town last season, but the majority of his minutes came on the right or in the No.10 role.
Harness was restricted to seven league starts last season and wasn't making matchday squads in the latter stages of the campaign.
What's needed: Broadhead and Harness are silky, technical players. Town need a more dynamic option for that inside left forward role - essentially someone to replace recent loanee Jeremy Sarmiento.
Missed out on: Town agreed a £35m double deal with Hull City for Jacob Greaves and Jaden Philogene. In the end they had to renegotiate a £15m transfer for Greaves alone after Aston Villa activated their 'matching rights' clause to bring Philogene back a year after selling him. The England U21 international is a direct-running, hard-working right-footer who plays off the left. That gives you an idea of what Town are looking for.
Currently in for: Town are understood to have had a £6m bid for Blackburn Rovers star Sammie Szmodics rejected. The Lancashire club reportedly value the 28-year-old - who bagged 33 goals for a struggling Championship side last season - at a whopping £20m. Time will tell if the two clubs can meet somewhere in the middle. Leeds are also said to be interested.
Linked to: On Wednesday, iNews reported that Ipswich were 'preparing an £18m bid' for Sunderland star Jack Clarke. The Sunderland Echo claim the 'the Black Cats are unlikely to sell for anything less than £25m'. Clarke, 23, is a mesmerising winger who loves to cut inside from the left to shoot. He once made a £10m move to Tottenham from Leeds and looks ready for another shot at the Premier League.
The EADT and Ipswich Star understands that it's not a case of one or the other when it comes to Szmodics (more of a No.10 than a left-sider) and Clarke. It's also believed that Clarke, though very much a player of interest, is not the number one target for that position.
Earlier in the summer, Town were very loosely linked to Arsenal's Emile Smith Rowe. That always felt ambitious and it now looks like the 23-year-old is set to join Fulham in a £35m deal.
STRIKER
Current options: George Hirst, Liam Delap, Ali Al-Hamadi.
Hirst felt he had a point to prove when joining Ipswich permanently from Leicester last summer and he used that fire to confidently and selflessly lead the line. His return of seven goals and seven assists would have been far higher had he not missed the majority of the second half of the campaign with a hamstring injury.
Town have seen loanee Kieffer Moore depart this summer (he has since moved from Bournemouth to Sheffield United). In has come Delap in a £15m deal from Manchester City. The England U21 international, like Hirst, is tall, strong and quick. The stats suggest he’s a better dribbler and presser, but not as effective when it comes to link play and aerial duels.
Al-Hamadi was playing League Two football less than a year ago. The 22-year-old was not overawed by the step up to the Championship, producing a string of lively cameo displays, before undergoing adductor surgery when promotion was secured.
What's needed: For me, I'd like to see Al-Hamadi go out on loan and an experienced striker come in to help develop Hirst and Delap, while stepping into the team when required.
Linked to: On May 7, TEAMtalk reported that Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah was ‘one of Ipswich’s ambitious targets’. That won't happen. The one-cap England international looks set to go to Marseille, who are now managed by Roberto De Zerbi, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's replacement.
On June 5, The Express reported that Ipswich retained an interest in Blackburn striker Sam Gallagher. Town's attempts to sign him back in January were well-publicised, with multiple bids reaching £1.5m rebuffed. Rovers subsequently took up an option to extend the 28-year-old's contract by another year, but that could be just to protect their asset. Championship duo Luton and Swansea have subsequently been linked. Gallagher, who played in the Premier League for Southampton at the start of his career, would have the added benefit of being able to play wide left or up top. It might not set pulses racing, but I think this could represent smart business.
On June 21, Greek outlets claimed that Ipswich had bids of €22.5m and €25m rejected for Panathinaikos striker Fotis Ioannidis. It appears the Blues have drawn a line under that one. Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon are now said to be the favourites to land the 24-year-old, who bagged 23 goals and nine assists last season. The question is, with Delap having signed, is there still this sort of budget for a striker? I'd imagine any remaining eight-figure fees will be set aside for a midfielder and/or winger.
On June 30, journalist Darren Witcoop reported that Ipswich and Southampton were 'keeping a close eye on the availability' of Villarreal striker Ben Brereton Diaz. The former Blackburn goal machine scored six Premier League goals for Sheffield United during an end-of-season loan spell. He's another who can play wide left or up top. At 25, he'd bring a good mix of experience and room for development too. Former Town star Darren Bent said on talkSPORT this is a deal Ipswich should look to get done. If it could be done within budget - and that might have to be a loan - then I'm very much in agreement.
On July 3, Africafoot reported that Ipswich were interested in Steve Mounie after the 29-year-old's contract at Ligue 1 club Brest expired. The Frenchman, who had two seasons in the Premier League with Huddersfield, has subsequently signed a three-year deal at FC Augsburg.
On July 8, The Mirror reported that Ipswich and Leicester were both monitoring Sassuolo striker Andrea Pinamonti. Agent Enzo Raiola has since publicly said the 25-year-old target man will leave his recently-relegated Serie B club this summer. Quotidiano Sportivo reports there is 'lukewarm interest from Inter, surveys from Milan and, a little more firmer interest from Fiorentina, Como and Monza'. Valued at around €20m, he too, like Ioannidis, looks out of Town's reach.
On Monday, Football Insider claimed Ipswich and Nottingham Forest were vying to sign Nigeria striker Kelechi Iheanacho following his recent release by Leicester. The 27-year-old has scored 150 Premier League goals in his career, but struggled for game time in the Championship last season. It's understood he's not a player Ipswich are currently talking to.
On Tuesday, TeamTalk suggested Ipswich were 'among a number of Premier League clubs weighing up a move' for Croatian international Petar Musa. The 26-year-old has scored 13 goals in 23 games for MLS side FC Dallas since making a €13m move from Benfica in February. Again, it's understood he's not a player currently under discussion.
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