We had almost 17,000 total votes on our recent web poll about the Town players who are out of contract in the summer. Here are the players who the poll results suggest that fans want to stay – and who they want to go.
NEW DEAL - Luke Chambers
The big one – the vote was initially neck and neck, but in recent days, fans have been backing the skipper to stay on. Chambers is, by general consensus, the best captain the club has had for years. He is ‘Mr Ipswich Town’. The heartbeat of the club. He’ll also be approaching 35 come the end of next season, and is one of the club’s top earners.
All that said, Town may not actually have an option on his ‘option’. Such is the complicated nature of some of these contracts that Chambers may automatically trigger his extra year if he hits a certain number of appearances come a given date.
Result - New deal: 61% Let go: 39%
Teddy Bishop
Ipswich will want to keep a talented young player who, not so long ago, was being tipped for the very top.
They will also be reluctant to hand a long-term deal to a player who, due to a catalogue of injuries, has worryingly made just a handful of starts in the last two-and-a-half years.
Bishop himself has said he wants to stay and earn a new deal. And that’s exactly what the fans want, too.
Result - New deal: 85% Let go: 15%
Luke Woolfenden
The man the fans want to get a new deal more than any other, according to our poll.
Quick and comfortable on the ball, the 20-year-old has shown his potential in first-team games against Crystal Palace, Reading, Middlesbrough and Blackburn.
Has been a regular starter at mid-table League Two club Swindon Town this season.
Result – New deal: 96% Let go: 4%
Myles Kenlock
Another youngster the fans overwhemingly want to see stay.
Praised by Lambert after coming into the team for the festive games against Middlesbrough and Millwall.
You’d imagine Town, regardless of whether they sign new loanee Callum Elder permanently, will take their one-year option on the homegrown 22-year-old. Has never looked out of place when called upon.
Result – New deal: 92% Let go: 8%
Josh Emmanuel
Someone who would know what League One is all about following two loans spells.
The 21-year-old started 37 games when Rotherham reached the Play-Off Final in 2018. He was in-and-out of the Shrewsbury team this season and was recalled to Portman Road last week, potentially to go out on loan again.
Again, you’d imagine Town will take their option. Whether they see him as their first-choice right-back going forwards is another matter.
Result – New deal: 81% Let go: 19%
LET GO
Jordan Spence
The man the fans most want to see depart, according to our poll.
Could well have been one of the players Paul Lambert was referring to when saying ‘the players are not good enough and without doubt some will go’ following the 1-0 FA Cup defeat at Accrington Stanley, and hasn’t played since.
Result – New deal: 4% Let go: 96%
Jonas Knudsen
Danish left-back looks to have played his last game for the club.
Paul Lambert says the 26-year-old has indicated he ‘has his eye on something else’ and has already moved to sign Callum Elder on loan from Leicester City to compete with Myles Kenlock.
Knudsen was linked to both Stoke and Middlesbrough back in the summer. Those links have recently resurfaced.
Result - New deal: 7% Let go: 93%
Dean Gerken
If Town do go down, could they really afford to have two senior keepers?
If Bartosz Biakowski stays, there would be a bigger decision to make on Gerken. According to the survey, fans would be happy to see Gerken go.
Result – New deal: 35% Let go: 65%
Grant Ward
Will Ipswich now activate a one-year extension on a player who has recently been ruled out for the rest of the season with a cruciate knee ligament injury?
That seems unlikely.
Fans certainly don’t seem keen to see him back.
Result - New deal: 23% Let go: 77%
Tom Adeyemi
Almost certainly will be released following a nightmare two years at Town – and our poll shows that’s exactly what fans want.
The 27-year-old has made just five appearances since joining as a free agent from Cardiff. His last outing was in the game against Norwich back in October 2017. He underwent Achilles surgery a year later and has rarely been able to get on the training field since.
Result - New deal: 12% Let go: 88%
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