Ipswich Town fans will be equal measures of nervousness and excitement at this moment in time, as the new Premier League season continues to sneak up on the Tractor Boys day by day.
The nerves will come from the fact Kieran McKenna’s men will be entering into the top-flight as major underdogs, with the worry they could be turned over for fun when facing off against the division’s elite clubs.
Yet, Ipswich have thrived with this label above their heads before when back-to-back promotions were won unexpectedly.
Of course, the Premier League is a wildly different proposition altogether away from the challenges of the EFL, but the Suffolk outfit will hope they can stay up against the almighty odds stacked against them, with rumoured signings like these potentially helping in their mission to beat the drop.
Ipswich leading battle for Championship sharp shooter
Ipswich do now look to be leading the race to sign last season’s Championship golden boot winner Sammie Szmodics this summer, with a new £8.5m bid reported to have been made by the newly promoted side.
That’s the case according to football journalist Alan Nixon, with the hefty fee needed to tempt Szmodics away from Blackburn Rovers reportedly too much for Leeds United to cough up, who have also been credited as an interested party for the ex-Peterborough United attacker.
Therefore, Ipswich could now be in the driver’s seat over ironing out a deal for the deadly sharpshooter, with a resignation almost from Riversiders boss John Eustace that a bumper switch will take place at some point this frantic transfer window.
Supporters packed into Portman Road next season will be licking their lips at the prospect of watching the decisive attacker pull on a Tractor Boys strip, even when making the perilous step up a league, knowing he could strike up a devastating duo bombing forward with another new recruit in the form of ex-Chelsea youngster Omari Hutchinson.
What Szmodics can offer Ipswich
As can be seen watching the goal clip above, Szmodics excelled running through on goal like a man possessed last campaign, before firing home with unerring coolness.
Szmodics would end up registering 27 goals in league action for a Blackburn side that were constantly looked over their shoulder at the relegation spots in the Championship, leading to so many suitors this summer wanting to snap him up to take him away from Ewood Park.
| 22.36 |
5.22 |
| Scoring frequency |
145 mins |
218 mins |
| Big chances missed |
17 |
4 |
| Big chances created |
7 |
7 |
| Stats by Sofascore |
The agile 5 foot 6 attacker linking up with Hutchinson next season could see Ipswich catch the Premier League off-guard, therefore, with the former Chelsea winger helping himself to 15 goal contributions on the way to McKenna and Co winning automatic promotion away from Szmodics’ exploits near the lower positions of the division.
Hutchinson’s ten strikes whilst on loan came about despite the promising 20-year-old only amassing 5.22 xG overall too, with Szmodics also outperforming his own xG of 22.36.
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