Ipswich Town sign £20m Chelsea gem and Hearts striker in £81m dream XI - if rumours are true
Ipswich are expected to start next season in the Championship
It’s fair to say that Ipswich Town’s first season in the Premier League since 2002 has been a baptism of fire.
The Tractor Boys sit 18th in the league, nine points away from safety, and with nine games to spare barring a minor miracle look almost destined to start next year back in the Championship. Kieran McKenna’s side have a net spend of over £126.96m in the last two transfer windows, according to figures from Give Me Sport - and despite a whole host of signings have failed to bridge the gap between the top-tier and the Championship.
The Portman Road side came up with plenty of optimism and though few expected them to repeat their heroics of a fifth place season in 2000/01, there was a feeling from many football writers, myself included, that the Suffolk side would have the best chance of the newly promoted sides of surviving in the top-flight.
In the end, Ipswich despite some encouraging displays from Liam Delap have been the third lowest scorers in the division while also having the third worst defence of any team in the division.
Quite simply, it’s clear to see why Ipswich are in the bottom three, but it’s certainly not all doom and gloom at Portman Road at the moment. Most fans are still behind manager McKenna and it’s widely accepted that the Northern Irishman has taken the club a long way in an extremely short space in time since December 2021 when the journey began with a 1-1 at Sunderland and a 1-0 victory against Wycombe Wanderers.
McKenna in his first two full seasons led the club to back-to-back promotions and has proven from the early years of his career so far that he should be the man trusted to lead the club back to the big time. Ipswich recruited plenty of young stars with a proven track record in the Championship this season, but how many are likely to remain on board and what is the team likely to look like next term. Here we take a look at a potential starting line-up for the 2025/26 season based on recent rumours and speculation.
Goalkeeper and defence
Ipswich Town have had plenty of inconsistency in goal which can lead to a lack of organisation throughout the defence. The decision to sign Alex Palmer in January from West Brom suggests the 28-year-old will now be first choice ahead of Arijanet Muric for a series of errors leading to goals particularly from goal kicks when playing it out from the back, which is something of a surprise from a player who was brought up in Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City youth team.
At right-back Axel Tuanzebe is the first choice when fit and available with summer signing Ben Johnson providing cover when necessary. In the heart of the defence Republic of Ireland international Dara O'shea has played the joint most games and it is likely he will be paired with big-money signing Jacob Greaves, who enjoyed a stellar campaign at Hull City last season.
At left-back Ipswich will hope to retain the creative services of defender Leif Davis, who has created 12 big chances this season, the second most of any defender and the joint 10th most of any player in the division. He crucially contributed 18 assists in the promotion season and is likely to be a massive part of the team’s plans.
A former Aston Villa ace arrives
Ipswich already have plenty of Championship experience and quality at their disposal which means the team shouldn’t need wholesale changes to mount a promotion push.
In midfield 33-year-old Sam Morsy is the club captain and it is expected he will start and potentially form a solid partnership with Chelsea youngster Carney Chukwuemeka, who was linked with Ipswich in January. He is struggling for game time at Borussia Dortmund but is thought to be a player that fits McKenna’s vision.
Ahead of them Sammie Szmodics, who has played in a variety of different areas should slot into the number 10 role that he thrived in during his time at Blackburn Rovers last season. Meanwhile, January addition Jaden Philogene is likely to be a source of creativity in wide areas alongside a possible new face in Peterborough’s Kwame Poku, who has been a standout performer for the Posh, With ex-Sunderland man Jack Clarke also providing strong competition.
Elsewhere, Omari Hutchinson could attract interest from a number of Premier League clubs after impressing for the England Under-21 in the recent international break. The likes of Kalvin Phillips, who has ultimately disappointed and Julio Enisco are expected to go back to the Premier League after failing to shine at Portman Road.
A new-look attack
Ipswich are unlikely to be able to retain the services of top scorer Liam Delap, who has been the team’s best player by some distance. The former Manchester City striker could be in contention for a World Cup place and is the subject of interest from Newcastle, Liverpool, Chelsea and a whole host of other top sides.
As such, Ipswich will be in the market for a striker and a cut-price option could be out-of-contract Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland. The Scottish international is expected to leave Tynecastle on a free and could search for a new challenge in English football. He has scored just four in 25 league appearances this season but was named Golden Boot winner the year before with 24 strikes in 37 games.
Full Ipswich XI: Palmer, Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis, Morsy, Chukwuemeka, Szmodics, Philogene, Poku, Shankland. Valuation: £80.5m