It is vital that the Tractor Boys have a successful summer transfer window
Ipswich Town have achieved the remarkable feat of earning back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League, and are the first team to do so since Southampton in 2012.
| Championship standings 2023/24 | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 1 | Leicester City (C) | 46 | 48 | 97 |
| 2 | Ipswich Town (P) | 46 | 35 | 96 |
| 3 | Leeds United | 46 | 38 | 90 |
| 4 | Southampton | 46 | 24 | 87 |
| 5 | West Brom | 46 | 23 | 75 |
| 6 | Norwich City | 46 | 15 | 73 |
| 7 | Hull City | 46 | 8 | 70 |
| 8 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 9 | |
The vast majority of Kieran McKenna’s Tractor Boys squad who have earned promotion to the top-flight were also a part of the 2022/23 side who won promotion from League One to the Championship.
Exciting times are up ahead for McKenna’s men as they look forward to the prospect of away trips to iconic Premier League venues such as Manchester United’s Old Trafford, and Liverpool’s Anfield.
But the Suffolk outfit will not want to head into the top-flight just to make up the numbers, and their primary objective will be to obtain top-flight survival.
In order to do so, it is vital that the Tractor Boys have a successful summer transfer window, while their fresh Premier League status will mean that they have the ability to attract players that may not have joined the club as a Championship side.
According to TeamTalk, McKenna and co are eyeing up a move for Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah, and the idea of signing a player who has played Champions League football this season would not have been possible for the Tractor Boys if they were still plying their trade in the second tier during the 2024/25 season.
Finance expert delivers Tractor Boys financial warning after promotion
Dr Rob Wilson, Football Finance expert and Professor of Economics at Sheffield Business School told Football League World that Ipswich could spend over £100m.
Via OLBG, he said: “Budgets are delivered across the season so Ipswich technically could spend over £100 million if they wanted to.
“They can absolutely be aggressive if they want to.”
That, though, goes against advice and Dr Wilson does believe Ipswich’s owners won’t be running before they can walk in the top flight.
He continued: “But I would never advise that, as an analyst, my advice is always incrementally build and sign players you know will have a future, rather than aging players that will get you results in the short term.
“Ipswich are a good club that seems to be structured in the right way, so I would expect them to build sensibly and bank a lot of money to reinvest in infrastructure.”
Ipswich should look to sign players with Premier League experience
The Tractor Boys clearly boast an immensely talented crop of players, who have won 194 points and scored 193 goals across the 2022/23 League One and 2023/24 Championship seasons.
But the Premier League is a different beast entirely, so McKenna should look to bring players with top-flight experience to Portman Road this summer.
If the Suffolk outfit land the signing of Nketiah, then that would be a strong start to their transfer window, as the forward has over 100 Premier League appearances to his name.
Furthermore, the Gunners forward is 24-years-old, so he fits the mould of a player who the Tractor Boys could develop, as advised by Wilson.
In addition to this, Fabrizio Romano revealed that Chelsea could be willing to allow Omari Hutchinson to leave Stamford Bridge on a loan deal once more, while McKenna’s side are keen to keep the tricky wideman in Suffolk.
A renewed loan deal for Hutchinson would be a great bit of business for the Tractor Boys, as Hutchinson has thrived at Portman Road, scoring 10 goals, and assisting a further five during the 2023/24 Championship season, and he is a talented player they could retain without having to spend money on a transfer fee.
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