After spending the early passages of the off-season fighting to keep Kieran McKenna at the club, Ipswich Town can now look towards the transfer window as they enter advanced talks for a new signing.
Tractor Boys prepare for life in the Premier League
The latest rumours out of Portman Road have seen Ipswich linked with a move for a number of new defensive players. Hull City’s Jacob Greaves is one name linked with a move to the Tractor Boys with the centre-back seemingly destined to be playing Premier League football next season.
Joining Greaves on McKenna’s wishlist is fellow centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers. The current Celtic man has attracted interest from fellow topflight sides West Ham United and Fulham meaning that Ipswich may have a fight on their hands in order to land the USA international.
With a defender clearly high on the Tractor Boys’ list of priorities, the club have now entered the final stages of negotiations to get a proven Premier League defender without needing to spend a penny on transfer fees.
Ipswich enter advanced talks for English free agent
As reported on Sky Sports, Ipswich have entered advanced talks with the representatives of free agent Ben Johnson. The 24-year-old was most recently on the books at West Ham, however the defender rejected multiple contract offers from the Hammers in the search for more regular game time.
Currently commanding a weekly wage of £20,000, this would be the only fee that the Tractor Boys would have to fork out in order to get their man.
Johnson rose through the youth ranks with West Ham before going on to make 109 senior appearances with the East London outfit. The right-back picked up the Hammers’ Young Player of the Season award back in 2022 and was also part of the squad that won the UEFA Conference League in 2023.
Whilst making just 14 appearances in the Premier League last season, Johnson was still able to show that he was more than capable of performing at the highest level. The fullback shone as a progressive force ranking highly for successful take-ons and progressive carries.
| Ben Johnson Premier League stats 2023/24 | Total per 90 | Rank vs fullbacks in comparable leagues |
|---|---|---|
| Shots total | 0.99 | 80th percentile |
| Successful take-ons | 1.82 | 98th percentile |
| Progressive carries | 2.81 | 82nd percentile |
| Progressive passes received | 5.46 | 84th percentile |
Despite struggling for consistent minutes at the London Stadium, Johnson has long been regarded as a quality asset to his side. Speaking when Johnson filled the void for an injured Vladimír Coufal back in October 2021 then-boss David Moyes waxed lyrical about the defender, telling the press:
“I actually thought young Ben Johnson, when you think that we’ve been with a couple of the right-backs recently, I think Ben Johnson has had three games this week, and I thought he was fabulous.”
With the Tractor Boys preparing for life in the Premier League, McKenna’s men could do a lot worse than a player with proven top flight quality and plenty of room to improve.
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