Ipswich Town have had a fantastic season in the Championship thus far, and despite a downturn in form over Christmas, they are still in a great position to compete for automatic promotion in the remaining games of the season.
Kieran McKenna has suffered some severe setbacks in recent weeks, none more so than the start of 6-goal striker George Hirst’s absence from play.
As a result, it’s critical that the Northern Irishman maintains and adds to a strong core of players who thrived in League One and have continued to do so since their return to the second division, despite having a number of them leave following their previous promotion.
With these considerations in mind, FLW examines three individuals who must continue to play at Portman Road beyond the close of the January transfer window.
Freddie Ladapo
The first name on our list is Freddie Ladapo, a centre-forward who has been linked with a move since the start of the window.
Despite already having the third-tier’s top scorer in Alfie May, League One club Charlton Athletic has shown the most concrete interest in signing him.
While he may not be a starter every week, Ladapo’s impact as a squad player cannot be understated, especially now that Hirst is out, which will increase his chances of playing time as Kayden Jackson has been pushed into the starting lineup with Conor Chaplin.
According to Richard Cawley, Charlton has no chance of reaching an agreement as a result, which is a reasonable strategy for Kieran McKenna to adopt.
Brandon Williams
McKenna made good use of his past contacts with Manchester United in the summer to secure a loan deal for Brandon Williams.
Although the agile full-back had a promising start at Portman Road, culminating in a spectacular solo effort against Preston North End in October, the 23-year-old has only appeared four times since.
Prior to the 2-1 win over Sunderland on January 12th, McKenna announced that Williams had gone to Manchester for treatment but planned to stay with Ipswich for the rest of the season once he was fully fit.
“After that, it will have to be a conversation and hopefully he’s fit and available and can come back and we can get back to the Brandon Williams that we had through October and November.” He remarked in an interview with the East Anglian Daily Times.
Despite Harry Clarke and Leif Davis’ outstanding performances on either wing, it would seem strange for the parties to cut Williams’ loan term short, given Town’s lack of quality cover in the full-back ar
Axel Tuanzebe
It has been disclosed in recent days that fellow Championship side Cardiff City has been studying Tuanzebe’s situation in Suffolk, and while his time in the side has been limited due to the form of other defenders, letting him go may be a major risk.
Tuanzebe, 26, will argue that he needs to seek regular minutes to avoid stagnation, but to put it another way, his previous experiences give Ipswich with something few other members of the club have: prior experience of promotion to the Premier League.
That happened in 2019, when the centre-back formed a strong partnership with former Tractor Boys favourite Tyrone Mings during an extraordinary run of form at Aston Villa, culminating in a 2-1 victory against Derby County in the play-off final.
Given that the former Manchester United man has still impressed when called upon to play a full 90 minutes on four occasions, as well as an 87-minute spell against Stoke City on New Year’s Day, McKenna’s decision to sanction a move is surprising, though the 26-year-old only signed a one-year contract.
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