Ipswich Town: Everything you need to know about Ali Al-Hamadi

Al-Hamadi started his football career at Tranmere Rovers (Image: PA)

Arrival in England

Many foreign players move to England to kickstart their football careers. Al-Hamadi moved to escape a war.

He was born in Maysan, Iraq. His father, Ibrahim, had been studying to become a lawyer, but was imprisoned by Saddam Hussein for peacefully protesting against the dictator’s regime. His wife was pregnant with Ali at the time, but he helped the family to move to the UK via Jordan at the start of the Iraq War in 2003.

The family were granted asylum in Toxteth, Liverpool, and Ali first met his father when he was one year and four months old. He grew up on a council estate and developed his skills while playing on the streets, earning him a place in the Liverpool Schoolboys team at the age of 13.

Liverpool and Everton were both interested in signing him, but he joined Tranmere Rovers instead, starting in the Under-14s before being offered a professional contract in 2018. He turned it down, instead taking up a two-year scholarship with Swansea City, with his family moving to South Wales as a result.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve taken the most conventional route,” he told The Guardian. “I feel like it’s a special part of me that gives me an edge, a bit more hunger and a lot more perspective on things because of the sacrifices my family had to make. I always have that in the back of my mind.

“Some days we did not really have anything to eat, but my dad would bring as much as he could for us. It was always tough but I have happy memories because, regardless, my parents always tried to provide as much as they could for me.

“Liverpool is an amazing and a really football-mad city. I hear senior players say all the time that as they have got older they don’t watch football as much or they love to go and play golf, but I just love football. I’m always watching it, learning, listening or reading about it. That was my upbringing.”

The attacker just 13 games for Wycombe Wanderers (Image: PA)

A difficult move

Was it right for Al-Hamadi to turn down a senior contract at Tranmere? We’ll never know for sure. He did, in fact, earn a professional deal at Swansea just two years after joining up with the academy, but he ended up going on trial at Derby County soon after, scoring for their Under-23s in a 3-3 draw against Norwich City.

He left the Swans in 2021 when it was clear that first-team opportunities would be hard to come by, joining up with Wycombe Wanderers after a successful trial period. Once again, he wasn’t given much of an opportunity, making 13 appearances in total. His only goal came in a Carabao Cup defeat to Bristol City.

He simply wasn’t the right player for Gareth Ainsworth’s style, although a brief loan spell at National League side Bromley in 2021/22 helped him develop. He said that he was ‘knocked about’ in non-league, but he managed to score three goals in 10 games.

He returned to London in January 2023, signing a two-and-a-half-year deal at AFC Wimbledon. The first six months were difficult as the team battled hard to avoid relegation from League Two, but this season has been totally different.

Al-Hamadi was one of the top performers in League Two in the first half of the season (Image: PA)

Catching fire

Wimbledon started the campaign well, although Al-Hamadi’s involvement was minimal. He played well in their Carabao Cup win against Coventry City but would’ve been disappointed to be benched in the next round against Chelsea, playing just over 30 minutes in the 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge.

September sparked an improvement, culminating with a hat-trick against former club Tranmere at the end of the month. He continued to get on the end of chances in October, but couldn’t find the back of the net. Nothing was falling for him and he was underperforming his xG [expected goals], hinting that he could catch fire.

He did just that, and eye-catching performances against the likes of Doncaster Rovers and Notts County saw many fans and pundits touting him for a big move in January. He entered 2024 with 13 goals and six assists to his name in the league, becoming arguably the hottest property in the fourth-tier.

Most of the Championship had been linked with him at one point or another, but Wimbledon manager Johnnie Jackson admitted that Ipswich’s interest had turned his head.

Al-Hamadi's performances in England caught the eye of the Iraq national team (Image: PA)

Representing his country

Eligible to represent England and Iraq, Al-Hamadi opted for the latter, joining up with their Under-23s in 2019 and subsequently declaring for the country of his birth. He joined their preparations for the 2020 AFC U23 Championship and made his debut in October 2019.

Injuries saw him called up to the senior squad in November 2021, making his debut in a 1-1 draw against Syria and his first start in a 3-0 defeat to South Korea. Since then, he’s been an important part of Jesus Casas’ side, with 12 caps and three goals to his name already.

One of those three goals came in a World Cup qualifier against Indonesia, which Iraq won 5-1. Al-Hamadi came off the bench to wrap up the win, rushing past Ipswich’s Elkan Baggott before working the ball around the goalkeeper and firing it into the net.

Ali Al-Hamadi driblou o goleiro e fechou o placar em 5 a 1 para o Iraque contra a Indonésia.#AsianQualifiers pic.twitter.com/Nc8REV7nT1

— Conte Verde (@conteverde_) November 16, 2023

He started against Vietnam in their last group-stage match of the Asian Cup, although he was left out of the squad for their round-of-16 match against Jordan yesterday. Iraq conceded twice in stoppage time to lose 3-2, meaning that Al-Hamadi will be heading back to England.

The 21-year-old could join up with his new teammates this week (Image: ITFC)

What Ipswich are getting

Some eyebrows were raised when Ipswich’s interest in Al-Hamadi was revealed. Dipping into League Two hasn’t always worked for the Blues, but there’s reason to believe that this could be different.

At 21, his potential is significant. He has all the right attributes – pace, energy and physicality. Despite standing at 6ft 2in, he loves to press and hassle defenders, often capitalising when teams try to play out from the back. It’s hard to teach those elements, you either have them or you don’t.

He isn't George Hirst, however, and his hold-up play is one area that could improve. Another is his consistency in the final third, which might sound crazy to say for a striker with 17 goals to his name in all competitions this season.

Some Wimbledon fans have highlighted that he can get on the end of numerous chances, and although he can be a clinical finisher, he perhaps needs to show it more often. In League Two, that's what separates him from someone like Macauley Langstaff at Notts County. It’s not necessarily a big issue because it can easily improve with coaching and experience.

It also shows how high his ceiling is, and Ipswich could be the perfect place for his development, especially as a 21-year-old attacker. His versatility is a plus as he can play on the left and the right. He does seem to thrive when working off a target-man striker who can hold up the ball, which he had with Omar Bugiel at Wimbledon, but he may be asked to lead the line by himself at Portman Road.

There’s a lot to like about this move, but it’s still a big ask to jump from League Two to the Championship. Others, like Ollie Watkins, have done it before, showing that there's no limit to what can be achieved in the right circumstances.