Ipswich Town: Alex Jones reflects on the summer 2024 transfer window

CEO Mark Ashton promised that Town would be 'brave and bold' in the transfer market (Image: PA)

Strong recruitment

IN (12): Aro Muric (£8m, Burnley), Ben Johnson (free, West Ham), Dara O'Shea (Burnley, £12m), Jacob Greaves (Hull, £15m), Conor Townsend (£500k, West Brom), Kalvin Phillips (loan, Man City), Jens Cajuste (loan, Napoli), Omari Hutchinson (£18m, Chelsea), Chiedozie Ogbene (Luton, £8m), Sammie Szmodics (£9m, Blackburn), Jack Clarke (£15m, Sunderland), Liam Delap (£15m, Man City).

Ipswich went big this summer, which we all knew they had the capacity to do. Mark Ashton claimed that the club would be ‘brave and bold’, which they certainly were, signing enough players to field a totally new starting lineup in a 4-2-3-1 formation. The CEO deserves a lot of credit for that.

In goal, Arijanet Muric arrived from Burnley. You could make up a back line of Ben Johnson, Dara O’Shea, Jacob Greaves and Conor Townsend, with Jens Cajuste and Kalvin Phillips sitting ahead of them.

Then you could line up with a trio of Chiedozie Ogbene, Sammie Szmodics and Jack Clarke behind Liam Delap while still not having space for Omari Hutchinson, who was on loan at the club last year before signing permanently from Chelsea at the start of the summer.

Given that most supporters expected maybe eight or nine signings, 12 goes above and beyond all expectations. On the other hand, there’s a debate to be had about whether it was the right thing to do.

Deadline day was far from ideal. The club has spent numerous weeks working on an on-again, off-again deal for Chelsea’s Armando Broja - a move which ultimately fell through as he made the switch to Everton. 

The club clearly wanted a striker and enquired about Emmanuel Latte Lath, which was quickly dismissed by Middlesbrough. Then, in the final minutes of the transfer window, they made a bizarre loan move for another winger - Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson - but he opted to join Fulham instead. 

As a result, the Blues ended up without another striker, the only real sour note from an impressive summer of business.

Omari Hutchinson broke the Blues' transfer record at the start of the summer (Image: Ross Halls)

Finding the right balance

The Athletic, using transfer fees from TranferMarkt, report that Ipswich had the second highest net spend of any Premier League club in the summer transfer window, reaching £104m.

That number is only beaten by Brighton & Hove Albion’s £139m, ranking them above the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea. Of course, it doesn’t include loan fees, future clauses and potential obligations that could take Town’s final figure way, way higher.

Ashton had stressed that the club wouldn’t be reckless in the transfer window, and for the most part, it’s been easy to get behind that. That being said, some eyebrows were raised in the final week of the window when they paid around £20m for O’Shea and Ogbene. Both are excellent footballers, but it began to feel like overkill

You can mostly justify it in terms of the finances. Some comparisons will be made to Nottingham Forest in their first season back in the Premier League, but their spending was much more significant, resulting in a points deduction.

If Ipswich stay up, there should be enough in the transfer budget to spend big again next summer. If they don’t, they’ve got a squad made up of Championship superstars on long-term contracts. It probably helps that they've primarily recruited from England rather than abroad in their first summer at the level as the latter is much more of a risk.

In general, the verdict seems to be that they’ve spent very well. When watching Sky Sports News or listening TalkSPORT, for example, they’re often listed as one of the clubs who’s had the best transfer window. There is, however, a lot more work to do internally.

That’s because you can’t just throw 12 signings into a squad and expect them all to click. We saw in the Carabao Cup exit against AFC Wimbledon that these players will need time to adapt, and given how many new arrivals there are, that won’t come quickly.

Overhauling much of the group that got the Blues back into the top flight certainly does come with concern and excitement in equal measure. The talk of needing to get the squad to Premier League level is obviously true, but to what extent do you sacrifice what got you there in the first place?

It’s far too early to judge the balance that they’ve struck. That being said, Saturday’s draw against Fulham is certainly an indication that it could all click into place quite soon, even if only three players from Town’s League One days made the starting lineup.

England international Kalvin Phillips has won the Premier League and the Champions League with Manchester City (Image: Ross Halls)

Versatility and personality

One key characteristic of playing for a Kieran McKenna side is versatility. Being able to play in more that one position makes you a huge asset.

Of the 12 additions, seven tick that box. Johnson can play almost everywhere, Phillips and Cajuste are both able to move into the back line, Hutchinson can play anywhere behind the striker while Szmodics can play up top. Ogbene can drop to become a wing-back and Liam Delap is more than comfortable when asked to move to the right flank.

It means that any injuries or suspensions can easily be accounted for and it always keeps the opposition on their toes. This works well for McKenna’s specialised game plans, being able to use certain players with key strengths against particular opponents by having them play in different areas of the pitch.

It’s equally important that things click off the pitch, too.

The ‘band of brothers’ narrative is one that we’ve heard a lot about, but it’s totally true. The core group at Ipswich have become more than just team-mates, they’re very close friends as well. It’s important that the new additions fit into the social structure at the club.

It’s hard to know for sure whether that’ll be the case, although their personalities seem to match what the club wants. Their backgrounds, however, are what stand out. Although they’re all unique, the one consistency is that they all have a point to prove.

Take Woolfenden and Phillips, for example - two players that have had polar opposite careers. The former came through the academy ranks at Town, was almost sold on numerous occasions but found a home under McKenna where he’s now a Premier League defender. The latter was one of the best players in Europe, but a variety of external factors means that his stock has plummeted. Both want to prove that they’re capable of playing at this level.

When you look through the whole squad, that point remains consistent. It doesn’t matter if you’re a defender who was relegated from the Premier League last season or a striker from an elite academy. These guys aren’t just here to earn lots of money and win countless trophies.

That’s what will make them work more and fight harder, because they know that they can’t pass on an opportunity like this. That mentality has stuck with Ipswich since McKenna first arrived.

Vaclav Hladky was unable to agree new terms to stay at Portman Road (Image: PA)

Sad departures

OUT (18): Vaclav Hladky (Burnley, Bosman free), Marcus Harness (Derby, loan), George Edmundson (Middlesbrough, loan), Cameron Humphreys (Wycombe, loan), Janoi Donacien, Dom Ball (both released), Kayden Jackson (Derby, free), Sone Aluko (retired), Gassan Ahadme (Charlton, £1m), Idris El Mizouni (Oxford, £400k), Corrie Ndaba (Kilmarnock, undisc), Elkan Baggott (Blackpool, loan), Panutche Camara (Crawley, free), Freddie Ladapo (mutual consent), Kieffer Moore, Jeremy Sarmiento, Brandon Williams, Lewis Travis (loans expired). 

Many of the players that supporters enjoyed watching in League One and the Championship have moved on. Sone Aluko called time on his career while the likes of Janoi Donacien, Dom Ball and Kayden Jackson were released. It was particularly emotional for the latter, whose rollercoaster journey in Suffolk was brought to an end, but he’s found a new home at Derby County where he’s now a fan favourite.

Vaclav Hladky’s exit was a shock, and it’s disappointing to see that he’s now sat on the bench in the Championship with Burnley. We might never know why negotiations over a new deal at Ipswich fell through, but it was hard to see such a hero of last season’s promotion move away.

The deadline day departures weren’t any easier. Freddie Ladapo saw his contract terminated by mutual consent to cut Town’s squad numbers and to allow him to move on for free. He split opinions in the latter stages of his time at the club, but his contributions will never be forgotten. It was this time last year, for example, that he bagged a brace against Cardiff City that saw the Blues pick up a crucial home win.

Marcus Harness and George Edmundson followed him out of the exit door a few hours later, joining Derby and Middlesbrough respectively on season-long loan deals. Deep down, there’s a hope that this is a ‘see you soon’ rather than a ‘farewell’, but it’s likely the end of the line for both in terms of their place in Ipswich’s first team squad.

Were these departures necessary? Absolutely, but that doesn’t make them any less painful for those who’ve adored them and the work they’ve put in throughout the last two years and more.

Kieran McKenna revealed his desire for two natural players in each position in his team (Image: Ross Halls)

Final thoughts

Off the pitch, the hard work has finally come to an end - for now. On the pitch, it’s only getting started.

At the moment, you can’t look at Ipswich’s transfer business without being excited. They’ve signed some talented players and some big names to compete with last season’s icons. It creates a strong squad and McKenna will have some selection headaches as a result.

With all of this, the proof is in the pudding. The international break gives the Blues some time to focus on getting their new arrivals up to speed, although a little over a third of the squad is away on international duty.

We saw some promising signs against Fulham. Soon, those signs will need to turn into wins.

It won’t be an immediate process but it can’t take forever. Many will expect this group to stay up and you can understand why.