After ending a 22 year wait for Premier League football upon their return in 2024, Ipswich Town’s first top flight season under Kieran McKenna ended in relegation, but that was not the end of the road for The Tractor Boys. After back to back promotions, the fact Ipswich were even able to compete at the top level was a very promising sign, and, boded well for them heading into 2025/26.
Kieran McKenna’s side started slowly, but, eventually, rose to the top, edging out Millwall in a race for 2nd place, and bringing Premier League football back to Portman Road, after only a season away.
Now though, Ipswich will be tasked with one of football’s greatest challenges, and that is surviving in the Premier League against some of the biggest clubs in Europe. But this time, armed with Premier League experience in the squad and significant investment behind them, Ipswich will hope their second time around ends better than the first.
Can Ipswich kick on and prove they belong among England’s elite?
Last Season
Following relegation from the Premier League in 2024/25, Ipswich showed faith in manager Kieran McKenna, and handed the Northern Irishman the keys to the squad for their return to the Championship.
Despite losing both Liam Delap and Omari Hutchinson for big fees in the summer, Ipswich were able to cope without them successfully, bringing in several big players for large Championship sums; Sindre Walle Egeli joined for a Championship record £17.5m, and Marcelino Nunez made the controversial jump from arch-rivals Norwich for £8m.
Despite a slow start to the season, Ipswich eventually clicked, losing only 3 games in the second half of the season, and pipping Millwall to 2nd as a result, ensuring an immediate bounce-back to the top tier, with wing duo Jack Clarke and Jaden Philogene finishing as top scorers.
The Boss
Going into a new season as a promoted team is always tough, but that task is made even more difficult when you do it without the manager that got you there. Kieran McKenna announced his shock resignation on 10th June, and left Ipswich facing a major transition at the worst time, with the club forced to look for a new leader.
However, The Tractor Boys moved quickly to poach Gary O’Neill away from Chelsea’s sister club RC Strasbourg, where he had been managing since Liam Rosenior left the French side for The Blues in February. O’Neill is a solid manager, who was able to guide both Bournemouth and Wolves away from what looked to be certain relegation, but has been unable to leave a mark on a club for a prolonged period of time. Now in East Anglia, that is exactly what O’Neill will hope to do, and that starts with keeping Ipswich in the top flight.
However, Gary O’Neill has a very different style of play to McKenna, that may take a while to get used to. Many of Ipswich’s key players will have two seasons of playing under McKenna, and pivoting towards O’Neill’s system, which is more pragmatic and defensively solid may take longer than Ipswich would like. However, O’Neill is an adaptable manager, able to change system on the fly and change setup on a game by game basis, which could prove useful in games where Ipswich are expected to struggle.
Confirmed Transfers
In their first campaign as a Premier League side, Ipswich emphasised youth in their transfer dealings, with the main additions in 2024 being Liam Delap and Omari Hutchinson who both arrived as young players with bags of potential. This time however, it seems The Tractor Boys are focusing more on experience instead, adding to a squad that had several young players play crucial roles in the second division.
However, their marquee signing does not really reflect that ethos, as striker Emersonn joins from Ligue 1 side Toulouse. 2025/26 was his first season outside of his native Brazil and, he impressed enough to earn a £24m move to Portman Road, becoming the first Brazilian to play for the club in Ipswich’s history.
On top of Emersonn, Ipswich have confirmed the signing of Ghanaian winger Abdul Fatawu from Leicester, following The Foxes’ relegation to League 1. Fatawu was a bright spark all throughout his 3 seasons at the King Power Stadium, and now, will be looking to bring his bags of tricks with him to Ipswich.
Another player brought in is Moroccan international Issa Diop, who jumps ship from Fulham. Diop is an experienced Premier League player, first joining West Ham in 2018, then moving to Fulham after their promotion in 2022, and now joins Ipswich for £8m. Cedric Kipre, another defender joins permanently from Stade Reims after playing for the club in the Championship last season.
In between the sticks, Kjell Scherpen joins from Belgian side Union Saint Gilloise and will likely don the gloves this season for The Tractor Boys, and lastly, Daizen Maeda has made the jump from Celtic, and will play Premier League football for the first time in his career.
Squad in Focus
After keeping hold of many of their players following relegation from the Premier League, Ipswich’s squad is in much stronger shape than it was upon their first promotion to the top division. With years of playing together too, Ipswich have a strong chemistry and could be able to compete from the get go.
In goal, new signing Kjell Scherpen will likely be handed the number 1 shirt, overtaking Christian Walton in the pecking order in between the sticks. Scherpen is 6’9 and uses his immense height to claim set pieces with ease. With long throws and corners a big part of the Premier League these days, Scherpen’s command of his area could be more important than many think.
At the back, Dara O’Shea and Cedric Kipre formed the central defence partnership, but new signing Issa Diop and Jacob Greaves provide strong competition behind them. O’Shea played every minute of the campaign without picking up a single card, a huge reason behind Ipswich having the second best defence in the competition. Out wide, Leif Davis provides an attacking threat, whilst Darnell Furlong started 40 games on the right side of defence, providing a more solid defensive option, allowing Leif Davis to maraud forward down the left wing.
In midfield, Azor Matusiwa was crucial in the promotion season, starting 45 of 46 games, providing an excellent midfield anchor for Ipswich to build around. Matusiwa led the league in interceptions with 70, and his intelligent style of play should translate excellently to a higher level. Alongside him, Marcelino Nunez serves as the more creative outlet, with Anis Mehmeti and Jack Taylor also able to operate through the centre too.
Up front, new signing Emersonn is expected to start, replacing the revolving door of forwards that McKenna operated with in the Championship. Both Ivan Azon and George Hirst started plenty of games for The Tractor Boys in the second tier, but a measure of consistency will be wanted from O’Neill, and therefore he will look to lean on his new Brazilian to lead the line. Out wide, Jack Clarke looks set to come in as a starter, especially considering Jaden Philogene’s future is certainly up in the air, whilst Abdul Fatawu will operate on the opposite flank. However, Ipswich have plenty of depth in their forward line that they still look keen to improve upon.
Key Player: Azor Matusiwa
When Ipswich Town confirmed the signing of Azor Matusiwa from Rennes last summer for just shy of £8m, there was a keen sense of intrigue around their new man, and Matusiwa justified every penny of that transfer fee over the season. The 28 year old Dutchman made the jump across the English channel and immediately showed his quality, becoming the engine of Ipswich’s midfield. He led the Championship in interceptions with 70, completed 93 tackles and made 232 ball recoveries, showing a level of defensive awareness that helped Ipswich obtain promotion. If The Tractor Boys are to be successful next term, then Azor Matusiwa will be at the beating heart of it.
One to Watch: Jack Clarke
Whilst Jack Clarke may not be a household name, the tricky left sided winger may be someone that Ipswich look towards for goals as they aim to steer clear of the bottom three. Despite only starting 23 of Ipswich’s 46 games last campaign, Clarke chipped in with 16 goals, enough for 4th in the goalscorers chart, despite sharing his minutes with Jaden Philogene. With his competition looking set to depart, Clarke could be given a larger role in the Premier League, where his direct style of play and lightning quick agility could prove a proper handful for defenders. In an Ipswich team that may lack in individual quality, Jack Clarke is a proper livewire and could become a player to watch out for as the season progresses.
What’s Still Missing?
As with any newly promoted club, Ipswich are extremely busy in the transfer window and are looking to bring in several new players to bolster their ranks, especially in midfield.
Whilst Azor Matusiwa is an excellent option for Gary O’Neill, there is a severe lack of depth in all areas in the middle of the park, and The Tractor Boys appear to have leapfrogged Hull in the race to sign Burnley’s Florentino Luis. The Portuguese midfielder recently suffered relegation with The Clarets but has allegedly completed a medical for a move to Portman Road, adding much needed depth to the engine room.
Another midfielder who has been linked is the World Cup winning Exequiel Palacios, who looks set to leave Bayer Leverkusen this summer. Palacios would be an extremely ambitious signing especially as he was a key man in Leverkusen’s invincible, title-winning season n 2023/24, and signing him could be the ticket to saving themselves from a second relegation to the Championship.
Elsewhere, there have been extensive rumours linking Paraguayan winger Julio Enciso to the club. Enciso spent the second half of 2024/25 on loan from Brighton, and now a permanent move could be on the cards for the current Strasbourg winger.
Despite the signing of Emersonn, another centre forward appears to be of interest to The Tractor Boys, with Feyenoord’s Japanese frontman Ayase Ueda being linked in recent days, as has Breel Embolo of Stade Rennais, however, they face competiton from fellow promoted side Hull City for the both of them.
Lastly, having already signed Daizen Maeda from Celtic, the club may dip their fingers back into the Scottish market, this time for Portuguese forward Claudio Braga of Hearts. Braga was a revelation for The Jambos as the Edinburgh based club nearly broke The Old Firm’s stranglehold on the division, and several clubs appear to be monitoring his situation in the Scottish capital.
Season Prediction
As the vast majority of all promoted teams do, Ipswich look set to be in for a season of struggle, however, I don’t think they will be as far off as many people think. Gary O’Neill is an underrated appointment; the Irishman did very well to keep both Bournemouth and Wolves in the division with fairly limited resources, and if he can get his squad playing the way he wants early, then Ipswich may surprise a few.
Additionally, some of their transfers have been very smart; picking up an experienced Premier League defender in Issa Diop for just £8m is a very shrewd piece of business, especiallly following his impressive World Cup campaign with Morocco, whilst Abdul Fatawu brings dynamism to that right hand side, something that Ipswich never really had under McKenna, with Kasey McAteer or Wes Burns being his preferred choice on the right hand side.
However, Ipswich do still have a lot to do, especially in midfield, as Matusiwa is currently their only real Premier League standard player in there. If Ipswich can brush up on the depth in the middle of the park, then they could be set to surprise a few people. However, I think goals may just be too hard to come by for Gary O’Neill’s side and, whilst they will make a good go of it, I can’t see them avoiding relegation once again.
Season Prediction: 19th
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