Ipswich Town have finalised their squad for the first half of the Premier League season. Stuart Watson analyses what’s at Kieran McKenna’s disposal.
GOALKEEPERS
IN: Aro Muric (Burnley, £8m)
OUT: Vaclav Hladky (contract expired, signed for Burnley), Nick Hayes (released, signed for Barnet)
CURRENT UNIT: Aro Muric, Christian Walton, Cieran Slicker
Championship promotion hero Vaclav Hladky was offered a new deal, but an agreement couldn’t be reached and he left as a free agent.
Town subsequently went out and signed Aro Muric from Burnley for a fee of £8m. The big Kosovan international was a key man when the Clarets won the Championship title, but found game time limited in the Premier League. When he did come into the team for a 10-game spell towards the end of last season there were plenty of big saves and a couple of high-profile errors.
The 25-year-old has had an eventful start to life at Portman Road. He missed the opener against Liverpool with a calf injury, made two costly mistakes at Man City (but also produced a Save of the Month contender) and has just been sent home from international duty for allegedly breaching team regulations.
Have Town upgraded in the keeper department? Time will tell. It’s worth noting that Hladky now finds himself on Burnley’s bench after the recently-relegated Championship club kept hold of James Trafford.
One thing’s for sure is that Christian Walton (who has just signed a new two-year deal) provides strong competition. The Cornish keeper provided a reminder of his quality with a solid display against Liverpool.
Scottish Under-21 international Cieran Slicker is a solid third-choice option with plenty of room for growth.
RIGHT-BACK
IN: Ben Johnson (West Ham, Bosman free)
OUT: Brandon Williams (Man United loan expired), Janoi Donacien (contract expired)
CURRENT UNIT: Ben Johnson, Axel Tuanzebe, Harry Clarke
This is the one position in the squad where Town have multiple players with significant Premier League experience.
Johnson, who turned down a new five-year deal at his boyhood club to seek a new challenge, featured 69 times in the top-flight for the Hammers, while Tuanzebe played 28 times at this level for Man United and Aston Villa.
It’ll be interesting to see who, if any, makes this spot their own. Tuanzebe has started all three league games so far and, due to centre-back being his primary position, looks better suited to the tucked in right-back role when Town’s defence resembles more of a back three.
Johnson showed his versatility when filling in for the injured Wes Burns at Man City (assisting Sammie Szmodics). Deploying his athleticism behind a Chiedozie Ogbene, Omari Hutchinson or Wes Burns could be an option in the games that Town really want to attack.
Don't forget about Harry Clarke, either. Having undergone surgery on two troublesome Achilles tendons back in May, he is now back on the grass and working his way back to full fitness. Having one of the key men from back-to-back promotions as third-choice (as it stands) highlights the depth that’s been built in this area of the squad.
CENTRE-BACK
IN: Jacob Greaves (Hull City, £15m), Dara O’Shea (Burnley, £12m)
OUT: George Edmundson (Middlesbrough, loan), Elkan Baggott (Blackpool, loan), Corrie Ndaba (Kilmarnock, undisc)
CURRENT UNIT: Luke Woolfenden, Jacob Greaves, Dara O’Shea, Cameron Burgess
Luke Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess did superbly in the League One and Championship promotion campaigns, but there was a universally held view that they needed some competition following the step up to the Premier League.
Jacob Greaves has immediately taken Burgess’ place in the left-sided centre-half role and shown exactly why the Blues have paid £15m for his services. The 23-year-old, already so experienced for his age, has made crunching tackles, big blocks and been dominant in the air. In many ways, he looks like a carbon copy of Burgess but with a higher ceiling.
Will O’Shea, who arrived late in the window, claim Woolfenden’s spot as the ball-playing, right-sided centre-back? The Republic of Ireland international would add some pace to the back line and looks a really crisp passer of the ball judging by his Carabao Cup outing at AFC Wimbledon. Woolfenden, for my money, was one of Town’s best players in the 1-1 draw against Fulham though. I’ve always thought his ice cool game would be better suited to higher levels. It’s certainly a nice headache for McKenna to have.
Tuanzebe being able to play at centre-back provides further depth to a centre-back unit that has a good balance.
LEFT-BACK
IN: Conor Townsend (West Brom, £500k)
OUT: N/A
CURRENT UNIT: Leif Davis, Conor Townsend
Having produced assists galore in League One and the Championship, Leif Davis attracted the attention of Premier League clubs such as Newcastle, West Ham and Nottingham Forest. Had Ipswich not gone up then they would have found it difficult to keep their left-back.
The 24-year-old's driving run and pass set Liam Delap on his way to scoring against Fulham. Catching the eye of interim England boss Lee Carlsey will be an added motivation for him given the Three Lions’ dearth of options in that department.
Davis may be ultra-fit and robust, but it was prudent that the Blues brought in a back-up option (something that was lacking for a lot of last season with Brandon Williams often unavailable). The experienced Conor Townsend, who has tasted Premier League football with West Brom, was therefore a very sensible signing at £500k. Not only will he be a solid, ready-whenever-called-upon option this season, but also (and I hope this is not the case) would be there to step in should Town go down and Davis, now effectively in the final two years of his contract, be sold.
CENTRE-MIDFIELD
IN: Kalvin Phillips (Man City, loan), Jens Cajuste (Napoli, loan)
OUT: Lewis Travis (Blackburn loan expired), Dom Ball (released), Idris El Mizouni (Oxford, £400k), Panutche Camara (released, signed for Crawley), Cameron Humphreys (Wycombe, loan)
CURRENT UNIT: Sam Morsy, Kalvin Phillips, Jens Cajuste, Massimo Luongo, Jack Taylor
Town’s record with Massimo Luongo in the side read W33 D12 L5 going into this season, but the Australian could soon find himself fourth in the midfield pecking order. That’s because Ipswich went out and signed two international midfielders on loan.
Former Leeds and England star Kalvin Phillips is looking to get his career back on track after a frustrating couple of years at Man City and a disappointing loan spell at West Ham. Sweden’s Jens Cajuste also has a point to prove after being deemed surplus to requirements at Napoli just a year after signing for the Serie A champions.
Phillips brings top level experience and impressive technical ability. Cajuste is tall, combative and can drive with the ball. Both add something different to this area of the squad.
Sam Morsy may have just turned 33, but the Town skipper leads the way when it comes to buying into McKenna’s every day’s a school day culture. He’s determined to take this Premier League chance with both hands and has already shown improvement across the opening three games.
Jack Taylor, meanwhile, is an option if the Blues need to bring on someone capable of smashing a shot into the net from range when the chips are down.
Again, this area of the team has good depth, character and variety.
RIGHT-WING
IN: Chiedozie Ogbene (Luton, £8m)
OUT: Kayden Jackson (released, signed for Derby)
CURRENT UNIT: Chiedozie Ogbene, Wes Burns
Back-to-back promotion winning hero Wes Burns (who has just penned a new two-year deal) now has fresh competition for a starting spot.
Chiedozie Ogbene looks an upgrade on loyal and valuable servant Kayden Jackson. Town retain that lightening pace option down the right with the Republic of Ireland international. A humble character who has just experienced the Premier League with Luton, he can also play right wing-back or as a central striker too.
McKenna loves to have different tools in his attacking arsenal and to be able to make multiple attacking changes within games to keep intensity high. He certainly has that on the right side, with Omari Hutchinson and Liam Delap (placed in other categories within this article) also options.
NO.10 ROLES
IN: Omari Hutchinson (Chelsea, £18m), Sammie Szmodics (Blackburn, £9m), Jack Clarke (Sunderland, £15m)
OUT: Marcus Harness (Derby, loan) Jeremy Sarmiento (Brighton loan expired), Sone Aluko (retired)
CURRENT UNIT: Omari Hutchinson, Sammie Szmodics, Conor Chaplin, Jack Clarke, Nathan Broadhead
With the left-sided attacker tucking right in, Town effectively play with two No.10s in behind the central striker.
Conor Chaplin and Nathan Broadhead, who joint top scored for Town in the Championship promotion season, now have a serious battle on their hand for those starting spots.
The Blues smashed their club-record transfer fee to sign loan star Omari Hutchinson permanently from Chelsea. There’s rightly a lot of excitement about how far the skilful England U21 international could go in the game.
Then you’ve got Sammie Szmodics and Jack Clarke, two of the Championship’s best players last season.
Republic of Ireland international Szmodics scored an incredible 33 goals in all competitions for a struggling Blackburn side, and it took him less than seven minutes to bag on his full Blues debut at Man City. He presses, plays with passion and is always running off the last shoulder.
Clarke is a saggy socked wing wizard (copyright sports editor Mark Heath) who loves to run at defenders with the ball glued to his feet. He’s essentially an upgrade on Jeremy Sarmiento.
There may be no Premier League experience in this attacking unit, but there’s a good mix of ages, dribblers/technicians, goalscorers/creators. Whether starters or subs, all will have vital roles to play over the course of the campaign.
STRIKERS
IN: Liam Delap (Man City, £15m)
OUT: Kieffer Moore (Bournemouth loan expired), Gassan Ahadme (Charlton, £1m), Freddie Ladapo (contract terminated by mutual consent)
CURRENT UNIT: Liam Delap, George Hirst, Ali Al-Hamadi
Have Town got enough in the striker department to secure Premier League survival? That’s the big question hanging over this squad.
Liam Delap, George Hirst and Ali Al-Hamadi are all aged between 21 and 25. They have netted just 23 Championship goals between them and have very limited experience at the top end of the game.
It’s no secret that McKenna wanted to add another out-and-out front man to his squad before the window slammed shut. The plug was pulled on a loan move for Chelsea’s Armando Broja though after a foot injury was discovered at a medical (he subsequently joined Everton).
Any disappointment over that has been softened by Delap’s early season form. The strong and powerful front man bullied Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah and raised the roof with a stunning run and strike against Fulham. He could be a gem in the making.
Hirst, close to returning from a pre-season knee injury, also has athletic attributes that look well-suited to top-flight football. He’ll be driven to prove Leicester that they were wrong not to give him more of a shot at this level.
Readymade Premier League strikers they are not, but there’s every reason to believe Delap and Hirst can make rapid strides under McKenna’s management. Stylistically similar, they will hopefully tap in for each other quite seamlessly too. Handily, both will be able to call upon the advice of dads, Rory and David, who played top-flight and international football.
Keeping them fit will be crucial. Both have had significant spells in the treatment room over the last year.
Al-Hamadi was playing League Two football at the start of this year. Raw, full of energy and someone the crowd really connects with, he looks to be the create chaos wild card option late in games.
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