Ipswich Town were given the impossible task of playing Liverpool and Manchester City in their first two games of the Premier League season this year, and while they held their own for a while, both contests unsurprisingly ended in defeat.
However, their last three matches have all ended in draws, and while Kieran McKenna will want to start picking up wins, the early signs are encouraging, and so far, the business conducted in the summer appears to be paying off.
The Tractor Boys made a serious effort to upgrade following their promotion and now boast several players who are more than comfortable in the top flight.
However, there is one member of the team who’s been with the club for a while now and has seen his valuation explode.
Ipswich's best signings
Due to the number of players the club bought over the summer, arguments could probably be made for any of them to be the ‘best’, but in terms of impacting the team and, therefore, results, three stand out to us.
The first is, unsurprisingly, Sammie Szmodics, who joined from Championship side Blackburn Rovers for just £9m plus add-ons and while he’s only scored one goal so far, he was simply unreal last season.
In his 48 appearances for Rovers, the 28-year-old dynamo scored 33 goals and provided four assists, equating to a goal involvement once every 1.29 games, so if he can replicate just some of that form this season, McKenna should have a real threat on his hands.
Likewise, Jack Clarke, who joined from Sunderland for £15m plus add-ons last month, was sensational for Sunderland last season, racking up 15 goals and four assists in just 42 appearances while getting the fans off their seats at the same time.
The last standout transfer for us isn’t an outfield player. Instead, it’s Kosovan goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, who joined from Burnley for a fee of around £10m plus add-ons in July after being relegated with Burnley last season.
Now, some might raise their eyebrows at the idea of signing a keeper who was recently relegated, but Muric only started playing for the Clarets part way through last season, and as Ipswich fans will now attest to, he is a quality player.
For example, despite playing against City in his first game of the season and seriously struggling, the 25-year-old currently ranks sixth for post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed, which means that he has conceded fewer goals than he would have been expected to, thanks to his shot-stopping.
In all, the Tractor Boys conducted some brilliant business in the summer, although they have a player in the squad who’s been with them for quite some time and has seen his valuation balloon.
Market Movers
Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?
Leif Davis' valuation in 2024
Yes, the player in question is talented left-back Leif Davies, who joined Ipswich from Leeds United in July 2022 for a fee believed to be as low as £1m.
In the years since, it would be an understatement to say that the Newcastle-born ace has more than justified his minuscule fee, as he’s helped the club win promotion first to the Championship and then to the Premier League.
In his first season in East Anglia, the 24-year-old “animal,” as former manager Scott Parker dubbed him, scored three goals and provided 14 assists in just 46 games, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 2.70 games, primarily at left-back.
Appearances
46
44
5
Goals
3
2
0
Assists
14
21
1
Goal Involvements per Match
0.36
0.52
0.20
He did even better the following year, scoring two goals and providing 21 assists in just 44 appearances, equating to a goal involvement on average every 1.91 games and proving crucial in the club’s promotion.
Unsurprisingly, with two seasons as good as those, the Englishman has seen his valuation soar. According to Transfermarkt, he is now worth €9m, which converts to around £7.5m, or a whopping 650% increase on the fee the club paid two years ago.
Ultimately, Ipswich completed some brilliant business this year, but they have been doing so for longer than that, and the rise of Davis is a perfect example.
Weekly wages: Ipswich Town's highest-paid earners
Football FanCast has taken a look at the biggest earners in Ipswich Town’s squad for the 2024/25 season.
ByKelan SarsonSep 23, 2024