Ipswich Town: Ben Johnson on the Premier League and toughest opponents

When it comes to Premier League experience, Ipswich Town’s squad ranks towards the bottom end of the division. In fact, there are probably a handful of Championship sides who boast more players with top-flight experience than the Blues, which is an area of concern for some supporters.

Of course, it isn’t the be-all and end-all of being a successful team, as the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford have shown in recent years. However, it’s crucial that they have someone like Ben Johnson, who made 69 Premier League appearances for West Ham across a five-year stint with their first team.

“I’m really privileged to have played for West Ham in the Premier League and in European competitions for the last few years,” he told the East Anglian Daily Times and Ipswich Star. “That gives me experience which I need to be using now.

“I’m at an age where I’m turning 25 in January, so I’ve got to use that experience with the boys. It’s going to help me as well, I think.

“The last two years at Ipswich have been nothing but success, and I can bring my experience and success that I’ve had with West Ham. It’s certainly a good fit for me to share what I’ve learned and to also experience what the boys have celebrated and done immensely well to achieve.

The 24-year-old believes his new team-mates have what it take to play in the Premier League (Image: Ross Halls)

“Every single one of those players deserves to be in the Premier League. Since I first came, the level has been there. The players are very good on and off the pitch, and it’s something that will continue to go from strength to strength and improve.”

The versatile defender has played at a high level for quite a while now, helping the Hammers finish in the upper echelons of the table while also competing in Europe. He knows what it takes to be successful and believes that his new side have shown all the signs that they can make the step up.

“You can never know how good someone is until they play in the Premier League,” he argued.

“When I came, I assessed all the boys just by playing with them in training. You can see that’s why I came to Ipswich because you can see how Kieran is going to improve me and coach me. You can see that he’s improved and coached every single one of them.

“From League One, he’s built them into Premier League quality players. I look around the dressing room and feel comfortable with the boys and how they’ve improved. What they’ve been able to do is very unique as well, having two promotions. That must mean that they’ve improved.

“That’s the environment we’re in, that’s the strength and conditioning, that’s the fitness, that’s the pre-season which is in the legs.

Johnson has featured regularly for Town in pre-season (Image: Ross Halls)

“The boys will probably say themselves that they’ve all improved, they’re focused and ready to go. We’re nearly there for the season and we’re excited for it.”

All eyes turn towards Saturday afternoon, where Ipswich face their first test, their first Premier League match since May 2002. Funnily enough, that was a 5-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield. This weekend, they’ll host the Reds at Portman Road, a daunting opener against one of the strongest teams in world football.

“Pre-season has gone so fast, the Liverpool game was seven weeks away!” Johnson chuckled. “For me and the lads – definitely the boys – they’re going to be excited to play in the Premier League.

“For me as well, these are the games you want to play, which started back when I was playing for West Ham. These are the games you want to play, against the best players in the world.

“That’s why there’s so much pull on the Premier League, there’s so much money and so much quality. It’s because the best players are here. Ipswich Town, what we have here, why can’t we play against the best and hold our own?

The defender made his senior debut against Manchester City (Image: Ross Halls)

“The two games [v Liverpool and Manchester City] are going to be a test, we were going to have to play them at some stage regardless, but it’s going to be learning for us. We don’t know what the result is going to be but we’re going to have to play them at some stage.

“It’s going to be good, the atmosphere at Portman Road is going to be fantastic. I’m sure that the fans will give us great support away at the Etihad Stadium and it’ll be a great test for the boys.

“That’s why they’ve put in such hard work from League One, to play against these players and know that you’re good enough to compete.

“There’s definitely no fear. As I said, whoever it is - Man City, Liverpool, Crystal Palace, whoever – we want to implement our style on the game. We don’t just want to be passive and respectful, we want to play our game and focus on that.

“We’re looking forward to the game and it’ll be really exciting to play in front of a full house at Portman Road.”

Johnson certainly won’t be nervous for those games. He made his Premier League debut away at the Etihad Stadium back in 2019 and has since played against all the top sides in England while also starting in Europe. He has no reason to be afraid of what’s to come.

Johnson helped West Ham lift the Europa Conference League title in 2022/23 (Image: PA)

He was also part of the side that helped West Ham lift the Europa Conference League in 2022/23, starting regularly in the early stages of the competition. That, of course, was one of the best moments of his career to date.

“It’s definitely towards the top,” he admitted. “You never imagine that you’re going to be a footballer, then to win a European trophy, it was a feeling that was full of so much joy, so much celebration, a lot of reflection as well.

“To win that, to be a part of that squad, West Ham hadn’t won a trophy in the last 40 odd years. To be a part of that was really special.

“Hopefully it’ll always be a special part of the club, the fans, and they’ll always welcome me back, for the effort that I and the boys of that squad put in.

“There’s success I’ve experienced and success that the boys [at Ipswich] have experienced with the promotion. I feel it’s a good fit for everyone.”

That experience means that Johnson won’t have to make the same step up as some of his new team-mates, many of whom were playing League One football just over 12 months ago.

The Blues are set to face Mohamed Salah on Saturday afternoon (Image: PA)

Now they’ll be up against some of the best players in Europe. Ballon D’Or contenders, World Cup winners and Champions League regulars will be entering the away dressing room at Portman Road. Asked to name his toughest opponents, Johnson doesn’t even know where to begin.

“City, Liverpool, they have so many players,” he said. “You look at the England team, for example.

“[Erling] Haaland, [Luis] Díaz, [Darwin] Núñez, those teams have fantastic players. They’re so talented, so full of quality. If you give them time and space and there’s something not quite right in your shape, they’re going to find an opening and have a chance.

“It’s our job over this pre-season to make sure we’re fit, but we’ve also done a lot of work with the manager and his staff to see where we can improve.

“The base, the back line which I’m a part of, is so important. That’s something we’re working on and we’ve still got time to improve.”