Ipswich Town will be aiming to secure some new signings soon, as the reality of their maiden Premier League begins to dawn on them, especially with the transfer window officially swinging open later this week.
The major signing that most Tractor Boys fans will be relieved about is Kieran McKenna staying put in Suffolk, despite the obvious temptation to relocate back to Manchester United if the Red Devils came calling, and will hope the whirlwind success story spearheaded by their popular manager makes the club a very attractive one to join.
The newly promoted side look to be exploring bringing in central midfield reinforcements according to reports, with a new target in mind that could slot in nicely to the Ipswich starting lineup next to Massimo Luongo if secured.
Ipswich looking at Ben Sheaf alternative
Heavily linked with Coventry City star Ben Sheaf right after promotion had been secured, that potential move looks to be dead in the water, with football journalist Alan Nixon reporting, via his Patreon, that a cheaper alternative to the Sky Blues man is now wanted.
With Sheaf now out of their price range according to Nixon, a move for forgotten Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O'Brien is on the cards, who could be won for a figure of less than £10m if everything goes smoothly.
Forest would be up for selling their on-the-fringes number 14, who spent all of last season competing against Ipswich in the Championship on loan at Middlesbrough, in an unmemorable loan switch that saw him only play 25 times.
Yet, McKenna and Co will look to reinvigorate the 25-year-old who was previously a different beast altogether when at Huddersfield Town during the 2021/22 season, turning into a brute warrior for Carlos Corberan's men, who would narrowly miss out on promotion to his eventual employers in the Championship play-off final that same campaign.
He could even displace Sam Morsy from the Tractor Boys first-team if he can reach his Terriers peak once more, forming an imposing midfield duo with Luongo in the process, ahead of a long-awaited return to the top-flight for McKenna's overachievers.
How O'Brien could fit in at Ipswich
It could well be extremely harsh on Ipswich's end to ditch Morsy ahead of next season, considering the Egypt international missed just four matches of Championship action all campaign, whilst donning the captain's armband.
Yet, little tweaks here and there could make Ipswich an even stronger outfit ahead of the step-up, which could include O'Brien battling it out with the popular 32-year-old for a starting position.
Stat – per 90 mins*
O'Brien
Morsy
Games played
43
42
Goals
3
3
Assists
3
6
Big chances created
4
5
Key passes*
1.0
1.2
Interceptions*
0.8
0.8
Tackles*
2.2
2.8
Stats by Sofascore
Matching each other in a number of key areas when last playing a full Championship season, O'Brien could well end up acting as a like-for-like swap for the experienced Ipswich head, with the current Forest man also more accomplished at a top-flight level just with 13 Premier League games under his belt, to Morsy's zero.
Whilst Morsy and O'Brien operate more so as disruptors of play before initiating an attack, Luongo is a far more polished distributor of the ball, with an 85% pass accuracy averaged per game last season, compared to O'Brien's 78% during 2021/22.
Therefore, the two together could form a partnership that makes Ipswich hard to break down jumping up a division, with O'Brien also once described as being "very special" by his ex-boss Corberan at Huddersfield, even before his key role in the Terriers nearly making it up to the Premier League.
It might well not be as flashy as a capture as Sheaf, who was once labelled as being similar to Declan Rice by football analyst Raj Chohan, but it's a signing that would certainly add strength in depth to the Portman Road ranks, ahead of a challenging leap up to the elite league.
Ipswich could sign Davis rival in forgotten "special" talent
Ipswich Town would certainly keep Leif Davis on his toes by signing this gem.
ByKelan SarsonJun 3, 2024