The end of the 2023/24 season is near. Stuart Watson takes a look at the contract situation at Ipswich Town.
A RECENT NEW DEAL
Town signed free agent Massimo Luongo on a short-term deal in January 2023, the midfielder having had his fair share of injuries in previous years.
After playing a key role in the charge to League One promotion, the Australian was handed a one-year deal last summer. Then, in late January, the Blues moved to extend the 31-year-old's contract until the summer of 2025, with the option to extend that by 12 months should they wish.
Asked if more new contracts would follow, manager Kieran McKenna said: “It's always under constant review. We have those dialogues as a club and with the players when appropriate.
“Of course, when you have someone who is playing week-in, week-out, and is an important part of your team, then it's more natural to tie it up a little bit earlier. That's the nature of football.
“As I've said before, it's very important that we manage to keep our best players and keep important members of our culture here and use that as our platform to build on in each transfer window. Massimo certainly falls in that category.”
No-one else has put pen-to-paper on a new contract since.
KNOWN NEGOTIATIONS
Vaclav Hladky, who has enjoyed a remarkable debut season at Championship level, will see his three-year contract (with no known 12 month extension option) expire this summer.
He was linked to Scottish giants Celtic ahead of the recent January transfer window, but the Czech keeper has repeatedly insisted that his he is keen to stay at Portman Road.
Quizzed on his future last month, he said: “There is not much I can say. Obviously, there are negotiations but they can take some time and there is nothing done yet."
It feels to me like only a matter of time before that gets announced.
TIME RUNNING OUT
I'll come onto players currently out on loan in a moment. Regarding players currently at the club on permanent deals, there are four others, in addition to Hladky, coming towards their end of their current contracts with no known 12 month extension options to take.
Sadly, it's looking like the end of the road for Janoi Donacien following his six rollercoaster years at the club. The 30-year-old - who started Kieran McKenna's first 44 league games in charge, it shouldn't be forgotten - has spent the entirety of this season dogged by a groin issue that still hasn't been fully resolved by surgery.
Dominic Ball started just four League One games in an injury-hit debut season and has only made one Championship line-up this season (the 0-0 against QPR post-Christmas). The 28-year-old has really added to the group's positive culture, and made the odd important late cameo, but McKenna moving to sign Lewis Travis on loan in January suggested Ball may be on borrowed time.
The same can be said of Sone Aluko. The experienced attacker has found himself out of Town's 20-man matchday squad for the majority of this season. McKenna has labelled the 35-year-old 'a massive part of our culture', so could offer a role in the backroom set-up. Aluko said in January that he is considering 'different options'.
The fourth player is...
HARD TO CALL
Will Kayden Jackson's time at Town extend into a seventh season?
The 30-year-old has made nine starts and 18 sub appearances in the Championship this season, scoring in home victories against Stoke, Preston and Sunderland.
Jackson has thanked McKenna for making him 'feel like a footballer again', while the Blues boss stressed as recently as January: "Players like him are really, really important to the group. They work every day to improve themselves, contribute to the culture and are willing to do whatever the team needs when required. Kayden's work off the ball as a striker is as good as anyone in the league."
My gut feeling - and it is just that - is that there'll be the offer of a new deal on the table if Town stay in the Championship. Whether Jackson, like Greg Leigh and Kyle Edwards previously, ultimately opts to seek more regular game time at this stage of his career is another question.
OPTIONS TO TAKE
Town hold the option to extend the contracts of three more players nearing the end of their current deals by a further year.
The Blues will undoubtedly trigger that clause on keeper Christian Walton to protect him as a financial asset. There's every chance, however, that Walton - who played a key role in Town's League One promotion, then suffered a foot injury in pre-season and subsequently had to watch on as Hladky made the No.1 spot his own - could push for a move away.
The 28-year-old, who attracted interest from Luton last summer, won't want another year of his career to slide by. Ipswich, I'd imagine, won't want a decent chunk of their wage bill being taken up by a sub keeper either. A parting of ways could be best for all parties.
There's been surprisingly little external talk about Cameron Burgess coming towards the end of his three-year deal. Are Town weighing up whether to reward the Australian international with fresh terms or simply take up his 12 month extension in order to keep their options open further down the track? We'll see, but there's no doubting that the 28-year-old has more than earned his place in next season's squad.
Then there's Axel Tuanzebe. The former Manchester United youngster signed a short-term deal last September with the aim of proving his fitness after several years in and out the treatment room. The 26-year-old has gone a long way to doing that by starting eight of the last 10 games. My guess is that the 12 month extension clause will be triggered.
LOANS RETURNING
Town have seven senior players returning from loans and three of them are due to be out of contract this summer.
Panutche Camara has had another season dogged by injuries at Charlton. He'll almost certainly be released.
Idris El Mizouni has earned plaudits during his second season on loan at Leyton Orient. It's looking like Ipswich will take up his 12 month extension option and then look to get the best possible price for a player who won't be short of League One interest. A recent MCL injury could complicate matters.
Nick Hayes has been fourth-choice keeper for two seasons in a row now. The 25-year-old, who was briefly at Southend back in September/October, is currently on loan at National League side Solihull Moors.
LOANS EXPIRING
Five players will come to the end of their loan deals. Will any return?
Upon joining from Brighton in January, skilful winger Jeremy Sarmiento said: "I’m happy that it’s home for the next six months. Who knows after that, I could extend my time here. That’s the objective, but we’ll see."
Omari Hutchinson has developed a rate of knots during his first season of senior football and Town fans will be keen to see the 20-year-old return from Chelsea. Asked if that was a possibility, he said: "It’s going to be a difficult one, I don’t know the answer to that. But maybe – I hope so. Listen, I can’t tell you where I’m going to play. We’ll see in the summer what the right move is and what the best decision is for myself. But I love it here, 100%. I'm glad I came."
Kieffer Moore will be heading into the final year of his contract at Bournemouth. Will Ipswich want to try and strike a deal for the experienced 31-year-old or will McKenna think there's better ways to spend the money? Again, we'll see.
The off-field Brandon Williams saga has been an unwanted distraction for Town. It's hard to see the full-back returning from Manchester United.
Meanwhile, it looks likely that new Blackburn boss John Eustace will want to work with midfielder Lewis Travis.
A YEAR TO GO
Sam Morsy signed a three-year deal when he arrived from Middlesbrough in 2021, sparking understandable fears from fans that he could walk away for nothing this summer.
The EADT and Ipswich Star understands that a 12 month extension clause was triggered in the influential skipper's contract when the Blues won promotion from League One though.
The 32-year-old has said that he would love to see out his career in Suffolk. I'd imagine talks over a new deal will start once the season is over.
Other players soon to be entering the final year of their contracts are Leif Davis, Luke Woolfenden, George Edmundson, Wes Burns and Marcus Harness. Of those four, only Davis and Harness have a stated 12 month extension option.
Corrie Ndaba, Elkan Baggott, Freddie Ladapo and Gassan Ahadme - all currently out on loan - are all contracted until 2025 too.
TOWN CONTRACTS
* Indicates known 12 month extension option in club's favour
Loans: Williams, Travis, Sarmiento, Hutchinson, Moore
2024: Walton*, Hladky, Hayes, Donacien, Tuanzebe*, Burgess*, Ball, Camara*, El Mizouni*, Aluko, Jackson
2025: Edmundson, Woolfenden, Ndaba*, Baggott*, Davis*, Morsy, Luongo*, Burns, Harness*, Ladapo, Ahadme*
2026: Slicker, Clarke*, Taylor, Humphreys, Chaplin, Broadhead
2027: Hirst
2028: Al-Hamadi
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