Ipswich Town have been on an incredible roller coaster over the last few years.
Kieran McKenna took the reins in late 2021 and led them from League One all the way to the Premier League in just two and a half seasons.
The Tractor Boys repaid the Northern Irishman for his brilliant efforts in the summer transfer window by bringing in talented additions like Liam Delap, Sammie Szmodics and Jens Cajuste, who are all vitally important to the club’s goal of beating the drop.
Kalvin-Phillips-Ipswich
However, while the majority of the summer additions have already paid off, it would be fair to say a few have struggled, including Kalvin Phillips and someone else, someone who might have been a mistake.
Phillips’ Ipswich struggles
Following a diabolical short-term loan to West Ham United last season that saw Phillips make ten appearances, lose six games, pick up a red card and then return to Manchester City early, there were serious questions about his next move.
Fortunately for him, Ipswich thought they saw an opportunity to bring someone to Portman Road with plenty of Premier League experience and a point to prove, so in mid-August, they signed the former Leeds United captain on a season-long loan.
Initially, while he wasn’t anywhere near his impressive best, the 31-capped international looked like he’d be a useful enough player to have in and around the squad, but then away to Leicester City, he got himself sent off and essentially cost the club what would have been their first win in an early relegation six-pointer.
The Leeds-born midfielder hasn’t featured at all since that incident, but there is a feeling that, given his incredible experience and undeniable talent, he could still play an important role as the season proceeds, even if it’s not as a regular starter.
However, while there is reason to be hopeful about Phillips’ future in East Anglia, the same cannot be said about another of the club’s significant summer signings.
The Ipswich signing worse than Phillips
So, with most of Ipswich’s summer signings already accounted for, it should come as no surprise that the potential flop in question is Jack Clarke.
Jack-Clarke-Ipswich
Now, we say ‘potential’ as it’s still probably a little early to say anything with absolute certainty, but as things stand, it’s not looking good.
The Tractor Boys agreed to pay Sunderland £15m for the “unplayable” attacker, as pundit Adrian Clarke dubbed him, and considering he’d scored 26 goals and provided 18 assists in just 92 games for the Black Cats across the last two seasons, it looked like a brilliant deal.
However, since making his move to Suffolk, the former Leeds United gem has not looked anything like the utterly sensational player who had been tearing Championship defences to shreds for the last two years.
For example, in his 14 appearances to date, which amount to 559 minutes of action, the 24-year-old has failed to score a goal and has provided just a single assist, which isn’t good enough.
Clarke at Sunderland vs Ipswich
Moreover, it’s not just the lack of output that’s worrying, but also his general play, with the defeat to Crystal Palace a good example, as the East Anglian Daily Times’ Alex Jones awarded him a 5/10 match rating and lamented him for how he ‘lost the ball too often.’
Ultimately, Clarke’s exploits for Sunderland over the last few years were nothing short of extraordinary.
That said, he has been immensely disappointing for Ipswich so far, and considering the fee he cost, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if McKenna regrets his decision to sign him.
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