Another Ipswich Town academy graduate’s career at Portman Road has come to an end.
Armando Dobra’s left the Blues, following the exits of Flynn Downes, Andre Dozzell, Teddy Bishop and Jack Lankester in the last 12 months.
All four of those players showed plenty of promise during their senior careers in Suffolk and, to varying degrees, each left with a sense of disappointment as they didn’t quite achieve what we thought they might have on home soil.
Dobra is no different.
At his best, he was a tenacious spark whose endeavours always brought a smile and inspired optimism. There was a time when the young Albanian international was one of Ipswich’s great hopes, following the drop into League One.
He was (and still is) a player different to many of those around him, who dared to run with the ball, tease a man and try the spectacular. He’s like a street footballer.
He played much of his football for Ipswich in wide areas but, if you asked the young attacker privately, he would tell you he was most-effective as a No.10.
READ: The making of Armando Dobra
He wasn’t perfect, of course. There are times he found it tough to force his way into the thick of League One matches and he had a tendency to hold onto the ball too long, with team-mates frustrated not to receive it from him. He had moments when his own frustration boiled over, too, while consistency was an issue.
If he was 'raw' in the early months of his Town career, he still felt 'rare' three seasons in and was never quite able to secure a first-team place at a time when the Blues are now able to sign prime cuts.
But everything that was good about this young man came dripping out on his debut at Luton in the Carabao Cup in August 2019, as he fearlessly drove inside and scored from the edge of the box during what turned out to be a 3-1 loss.
He’d impressed Lambert during the busy summer schedule and in his next appearance he was the best player on the pitch as he produced two assists for Jordan Roberts in an EFL Trophy victory over Spurs’ youngsters. He impressed again from the bench against Gillingham in the same competition.
Lambert said of the youngster: “I like the way he plays, the kid. I like the way he goes about it. He’s not got a fear factor about it.”
Yet there seemed to be a reluctance from Lambert to play the young attacker in the league, even when he was coming off the back of exciting appearances in cup competitions. Town’s big squad and their superb form in their opening weeks of League One football certainly didn’t help his cause.
But it all changed at Accrington in early October and, it must be said, it wasn’t all for the better.
Dobra deserved a chance in the league and got it at the break at the Wham Stadium, with Ipswich already 2-0 down and heading to their first league defeat of the season. The game was up heading into the last 10 minutes, but that’s where Dobra’s match ended as he was sent off for an off-the-ball tangle with Ross Sykes.
The wheels fell off Ipswich’s campaign from there and, in many ways, Lambert’s trust in Dobra was dented for a period.
Despite the Ipswich team crying out for a player in his mould, he didn’t feature in the league again until the end of February, playing just twice before football was shut down by Covid.
Prior to that, though, Ipswich rejected multiple offers from Brighton for the then-teenager on deadline day in 2020. The bidding reached £375,000, at a time when the likes of Southampton, Leeds, Dynamo Kyiv and Atalanta were all interested in a young player who had pushed his way into the Albania Under 21 set-up.
Such was the interest, and the feeling Dobra could be a real success at Town, the Blues were delighted to tie him down to a long-term deal in May of 2020. Lambert then wanted Dobra to head out on loan, with a switch to Crawley lined up, but the player opted to stay and fight for his place. Though his stance was admirable, the decision didn’t go down particularly well at Ipswich.
He’d go on to make 19 appearances during the behind-closed-doors season, but made only four league starts under Lambert before making another four under Paul Cook, once it become clear most of the Ipswich squad were soon to be discarded by Demolition Man.
Though under contract and surviving the cull, Dobra was slated to begin last season training with the Blues’ Under 23s along with the likes of Downes, Kenlock, Lankester, Kayden Jackson and Jon Nolan, but the Albanian was quickly switched back to first-team training and began the season in Cook’s side as the Ipswich squad continued to be built.
But, with Wes Burns, Conor Chaplin, Bersant Celina, Sone Aluko, Kyle Edwards and Louie Barry all arriving, a sustained run in the Ipswich side always looked unlikely.
And that’s where Colchester came in, with Dobra choosing the U’s despite interest from Shrewsbury and Burton. With so many familiar faces down the A12, it seemed like the perfect spot for Dobra to fine tune and return in a year, ready to push his way into Cook’s plans.
Only it didn’t work out like that, with the youngster dropping out of the League Two side’s team, then the squad, before playing for their Under 23s and ultimately returning to Ipswich before the season was over.
The experience undoubtedly took the shine off a youngster who had previously been so highly rated.
An exit looked almost certain from this point, given Dobra’s lack of first-team training since his return, with Ipswich’s power in the recruitment market perhaps overtaking the youngster’s development.
Town are at a point where they can’t afford to wait, as they bid to climb out of League One at the fourth time of asking, meaning a young player who once had so much promise, but yet still feels raw, no longer fits the timeline for success. Things are very different at Ipswich these days.
The hope must be now that a reunion with Cook, who always appreciated Dobra’s approach, can help his career move forward again.
There were other options, including Morecambe and Torquay, but the pull of Cook was something which enthused Dobra.
“Dobs is an absolutely cracking kid,” Cook said last summer. “He’s a pleasure to work with every day and he has a real desire to get better.
“He trains so hard, he wants to learn and grow as a young player.”
The former Ipswich boss spoke hoping the pair would be working together in Suffolk, but both will now be looking to get their careers moving forward again in Derbyshire.
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