Ipswich Town have signed six new players so far this summer, hopeful that these new recruits will hop on board the Tractor Boys train and help them pull off an unbelievable relegation escape act.
Everything is pointing in the direction of the Suffolk outfit immediately falling back down to the Championship, in a similar fashion to Luton Town who wanted to take the Premier League by storm as underdogs after their own wild promotion heroics The Hatters did valiantly give survival a good go.
Even more bodies arriving could well be exactly what Ipswich need in order to have a squad capable of finishing above that dreaded bottom three, with a move now in the works for a Tottenham Hotspur outcast.
Ipswich in battle for Spurs midfielder
As per a new report from The Telegraph, Oliver Skipp is a name on many a radar this summer, with Ipswich Town now battling it out to land his services.
Southampton and Leicester City are also keen from the trio of newly promoted teams, but the Tractor Boys will hope they can edge out their competitors to win the £13m-rated 23-year-old – as per Football Transfers' valuation – to boost their midfield options ahead of voyaging up to the top-flight.
Only making five starts in the Premier League last season, Skipp would still be able to offer the Suffolk side some much needed experience of the tough division, away from the likes of Sam Morsy, Massimo Luongo and other midfield stalwarts who have only really tasted EFL football during their careers.
What Skipp can offer Ipswich
This approach for the wantaway man from North London could see Ipswich strike gold in a similar fashion to Omari Hutchinson, who was on the periphery at Stamford Bridge until exploding into life donning a Tractor Boys strip in the second tier on loan, before Chelsea then demanded a club record fee of £20m out of McKenna's men.
Hutchinson would fire home the final goal of Ipswich's triumphant promotion-winning season last time out, lashing home an early second-half effort to cause widespread pandemonium around Portman Road and take his second-tier tally to ten from 44 games.
Skipp will aim to be the next hero who turns around his stuttering career when joining McKenna's camp, but he might well have to win over some hardened sections of the fanbase first off the bat, owing to his past Norwich City loyalties.
Games played
45
Goals scored
1
Assists
1
Touches
68.1
Big chances created
3
Accurate passes*
49.1 (88%)
Interceptions*
1.1
Tackles*
2.2
Clearances*
1.0
Total duels won*
5.7
Skipp was a top performer for the Canaries during their own promotion exploits under Daniel Farke during the 2020/21 campaign, as can be seen glancing at the table above, with an impressive 5.7 duels won per clash.
He would be rewarded with a place in the Championship Team of the Season as a result, living up to his billing as a "very intelligent" footballer, as was handed out to him by one of his former Academy coaches in Saul Isaksson-Hurst when he was learning the ropes as a youth player at Spurs.
The ex-Norwich star could well get back to his previous best under McKenna's guidance, therefore, with the potential for Skipp to strike up a daunting partnership with Morsy in the holding roles in the team.
The Egypt international is equally as calm and as measured on the ball as the Spurs number four, with an 82% pass accuracy averaged last campaign, alongside a similarly impressive duels won count of 5.2.
McKenna has managed to get a lot more out of players who were previously resigned to just being top performers in the EFL, with the likes of Conor Chaplin and more known as steady talents for divisions such as League One and the Championship over the top flight.
Now, however, they have the opportunity to prove themselves as worthwhile assets stepping up to the Premier League, with Skipp one who could shine too if snapped up.
Ipswich could fix Hirst headache by signing “ridiculous” goal machine
Ipswich Town could well need more reinforcements up top.
ByKelan SarsonAug 8, 2024