Ipswich Town Summer Transfer Window 2024 Analysis: Strategy, Needs, Areas for Improvement and Financial Capabilities
Ipswich Town’s Performance in the 2023/24 Season
Having finished second in League One in 2022/23 with an impressive 98 points, Ipswich Town secured their second-successive promotion as they finished second in the EFL Championship by one point in the 2023/24 season, thus qualifying for the Premier League in the 2024/25 season.
Under Kieran McKenna, the club made an incredible start to the season and suffered just two defeats between August and November last year. They stitched together some incredible winning streaks to propel themselves into the automatic qualification spots for the Premier League. This ended their 22-year absence from the top-flight.
Ipswich did fairly well in the FA Cup but were dumped out after a defeat to Maidstone United in Round 4 of the competition. They also made it the round of 16 at the EFL Cup but suffered a defeat against Fulham and were knocked out.
Now, their priorities will shift as per their surroundings, and Ipswich Town will look to retain their Premier League status at the end of the upcoming 2024/25 season. For that, they will need to recruit quick and smart.
Transfer Strategy
Ipswich have struggled to sell players in recent years, as they have not progressed well enough or developed as per expectations. However, their promotion to the Premier League is bound to turn heads, as they will receive nearly 150m.
Last season, they signed several players, including loanee Omari Hutchinson from Chelsea, as they looked to strengthen their squad in all areas. They will need to continue to be astute in the market as things do not look good financially. To that tune, Ipswich may have to offload some players.
Squad Needs & Areas of Improvement
Goalkeeper
With just two senior goalkeepers currently in the roster, Ipswich Town will need to sign at least two more to prevent any mishaps in case one gets injured. Their current custodians are 21 and 28 respectively, but the club will need to add more backup for them.
Midfielders
To cope with the fast-paced and physical nature of the Premier League, Ipswich will need to ensure they sign quality midfielders ahead of the season.
Strikers
The team currently has just four forwards at the moment and will need to add at least two more so they can have adequate bench depth and can compete. Scoring goals will be of paramount importance and being a team that can score freely is something McKenna will want for his players.
Ipswich Town Transfer Window 2024: Potential Signings & Top Targets
| Ipswich Town Transfer Targets | Position | Current Club | Estimated Fee (in EUR millions) |
| Jaden Philogene | Winger | Hull City | 15m |
| Jacob Greaves | Defender | Hull City | 15m |
| Fotis Ioannidis | Striker | Panathinaikos | 13m |
| Lucas Assadi | Attacking Midfield | Club Universidad | 3.50m |
Jaden Philogene
The 22-year-old winger had a great season for Hull City and contributed well to his team’s achievements. He made 33 appearances across competitions last season, netting 12 times and playing six assists. His ability to play on either wing would be a big plus for Ipswich should he join, but they will have to pay well to sign him.
Jacob Greaves
Another Hull City player, Greaves has been impressive for the Tigers of late. He made 43 appearances across competitions last season and scored two goals along with providing four assists. Standing at nearly six-foot-four, Greaves is left-footed and is a towering presence in defence and should do well.
Fotis Ioannidis
The Panathinaikos striker had a pretty good season for his club as he made 44 appearances across competitions, scoring 23 goals and providing nine assists. He mainly plays through the middle of the park and uses his strength and movement to create spacing to attempt shots.
Lucas Assadi
The 20-year-old Chilean has made a decent start to life with Universidad, as he has made 11 appearances across competitions and netted four goals as well. He can play as a central as well as wide midfielder and has shown great promise. Should Ipswich sign him cheap, he could prove to be a major coup.
Ipswich Town’s Financial Capabilities
Promotion to the Premier League is bound to have given Ipswich Town a huge chunk of money to play around with to build their squad. However, they will have to be careful while investing and will need to play most of their cards right to get ahead in this ongoing transfer window.
Budget Overview
Last season, a total of 23 players left the club in search of greener pastures. However, they were all free transfers and fetched the club nothing. In contrast, Ipswich Town signed 20 players for a combined total of €-5.67, making that figure their net loss for last season.
Financial Fair Play (FFP)
With a huge chunk of promotion money coming their way, Ipswich can rebuild their roster from ground up, but will need to spend smartly in adherence with FFP laws.
Strategic Spending
As most newly-promoted clubs do, Ipswich could target fringe players from existing teams in the PL to improve the overall quality of the team.