Category: Ipswich town

 

Ali Al-Hamadi (left) and Harry Clarke (right) will spent the rest of the season on loan in the Championship

Ali Al-Hamadi (left) and Harry Clarke (right) will spent the rest of the season on loan in the Championship

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has stressed that Ali Al-Hamadi and Harry Clarke can both play a part in the club’s future despite their recent Championship loan moves.

 

Al-Hamadi, who was signed from League Two side AFC Wimbledon last year, has joined up with Stoke City, scoring on his debut away at Hull City last weekend. The striker has found it hard to adapt to life in the Premier League and will hope to gain some confidence in the second tier.

 

Clarke, on the other hand, will spend the rest of the season with Sheffield United. Chris Wilder’s side are chasing promotion back to the top flight, and the right-back has already impressed fans following his maiden appearance away at Derby County.

 

McKenna has been keen to highlight that the Blues will be watching both of them closely in the second half of the campaign, with an eye on re-integrating them into the squad ahead of next season.

 

“They are good opportunities for them,” McKenna said. “They are players who have done well here and players who still have a future at the club.

 

Kieran McKenna is hoping to keep a close eye on the pair

Kieran McKenna is hoping to keep a close eye on the pair

 

“But we always try and find the right balance between making sure that we have enough cover and enough competition in the squad without having too much, and also letting players progress in their careers – both for themselves and their ambitions, but also for a football club to keep developing our assets as well.

 

“We feel like this is the right opportunity for both of those two boys is to go out and play.

 

“They are both still young and, of course, we’ll keep in contact with them and keep a good eye on them.

 

“Hopefully they will have a good second half of the season in the Championship.”

 

George Edmundson’s departure to Middlesbrough was also confirmed ahead of Town’s defeat to Southampton. The centre-back, who spent the first half of the season on loan at the Riverside, made a permanent switch for an initial fee of £600k which can more than double with add-ons.

 

Although his exit felt inevitable, he played an important part in Ipswich’s journey and was a brilliant character behind the scenes, which McKenna was quick to recognise.

 

“A very, very popular player,” he said about Edmundson. “He did some great work in the community as well, with the disability aspect of the Ipswich Town Foundation.

 

George Edmundson left the Blues to join Middlesbrough on a permanent deal

George Edmundson left the Blues to join Middlesbrough on a permanent deal

“He’s a very good person, very well-liked by his teammates. He had a big contribution on the pitch.

 

“He had some injuries as well over the couple of years, but when fit, he was always an important player.

 

“He had runs of playing in the team and doing very well, and even when he wasn’t playing every week, he was always ready to step in with some big performances – no more so than at the very end of last season against Coventry.

 

Wolverhampton Wanderers confirmed the signings of Marshall Munetsi and Nasser Djiga just after midnight, over an hour after the 11pm cut-off point on transfer deadline day.

The Old Gold sealed both deals before the window was slammed shut, pleasing head coach Vitor Pereira who was determined to land a new defender and central midfielder. Wanderers are delighted but rivals in the Premier League relegation fight – including Ipswich Town and Leicester City – will be watching on through gritted teeth.

 

Munetsi, signed for a fee believed to be in the region of €20.5 million (£17m), became the second player to join Wolves from Stade de Reims in the window following the £16.6 million acquisition of centre-half Emmanuel Agbadou. The Zimbabwe international has put pen to paper on a three and a half year contract.

A staple in Reims’ midfield for the past five seasons, Munetsi was recently named the man of the match in a 1-1 draw away at Paris Saint-Germain. The 28-year-old is in his prime years and had established himself as one of the best midfielders in the bottom half of the French top flight before his exit.

Djiga, meanwhile, has joined from Red Star Belgrade in a deal worth approximately €12.5 million (£10m). The 6ft 3in centre-half promises to be a superb addition as he recently emerged as one of the best defenders in the Serbian top flight.

The 22-year-old, who played every possible minute for Red Star in the eight Champions League outings this season, only signed for the Serbian Super Liga club for £2.5 million in the summer. Most teams would be devastated to lose a key player but Red Star are thrilled to cash in for what’s close to a record sale.

 

Wolves are relieved they managed to avoid a repeat of the Kevin Danso saga as they looked set to sign the Austrian international defender from RC Lens but Tottenham Hotspur hijacked the deal. A full agreement was reached for Danso to join on loan and a medical was even booked, but Spurs swooped in to sign him instead.

Lemina exit inevitable after £17m Wolves deal
Munetsi signing on the dotted line will allow Mario Lemina to depart the club. Reports in Turkey suggest a full agreement has been reached for Lemina to complete a €3.5 million transfer to Galatasaray, still a possibility as the Turkish window doesn’t shut for another week.

The Old Gold were keen to move on Lemina throughout January following unprofessionalism and a lack of commitment from the former captain. Lemina refused to play against Newcastle United two weeks ago after requesting a transfer earlier in the month, before apologising to Pereira and his teammates.

The 31-year-old played 77 times for Wolves in all competitions, scoring six goals and making five assists. Lemina has made more appearances for Wanderers than any other team in his career and he had built a superb relationship with the fanbase, but those memories have now been tarnished to a great extent.

 

 

It was clear that a striker was high on the agenda for potential signings to be made by Chelsea in the January transfer window.

 

Nicolas Jackson is enduring a nightmare spell in front of goal right now, and the Blues have been crying out for another option to play up top.

 

One of the names linked with a switch to Stamford Bridge was Liam Delap, who is in the middle of a fine first season in the Premier League.

 

Liam Delap of Ipswich Town celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Ipswich Town FC and Southampton FC at P…

 

The Englishman is now level with Jackson for goals this season, and his individual statistics make for impressive reading.

 

 

Chelsea could have signed Liam Delap in January if Carney Chukwuemeka joined Ipswich Town

Chelsea are seen by many as the favourites to sign Delap in the summer, and will almost certainly return to the scene when the transfer window opens again.

 

However, there was actually a chance they could have moved forward with the addition last month, and it relied on Carney Chukwuemeka.

 

Simon Phillips stated that if the midfielder had joined Ipswich on loan, the Blues would have had a far bigger chance of signing Delap.

 

He said on his Substack: “Chelsea spoke to Ipswich at least three times asking for Liam Delap this window and also had open communications with his agent. Player was keen but would not actively push.

 

 

“They could have got him for around £50-£60m this window but the belief is that they have now laid down the foundations to get him much cheaper in the summer.

 

“If Carney Chukwuemeka agreed to a move to Ipswich and Chelsea could have agreed a fee, then this could have advanced.”

 

Ipswich reportedly asked about Chukwuemeka during the transfer window, however he ended up making a move to Borussia Dortmund for the rest of the campaign.

 

New Signing Carney Chukwuemeka of Borussia Dortmund on February 2, 2025 in Dortmund, Germany.

Photo by Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images

Chelsea’s striker options for this season

With no addition in January, it is expected faith is going to continue to be put into Jackson by Enzo Maresca.

 

Christopher Nkunku is another option after he didn’t get his expected January move, although the manager seems to rate him in a position behind the frontman.

 

Last night’s win over West Ham saw Marc Guiu introduced to the fray just a few minutes after half-time, and his impact on proceedings certainly suggested he has a role to play in the Premier League this season.

 

 

IPSWICH, England, Feb 1 (Reuters) – Southampton ended their miserable season with a crucial 2-1 victory at fellow relegation battlers Ipswich Town, securing their second Premier League win after Paul Onuachu netted late.

Both teams, desperate for points in their fight against relegation, saw Southampton strike first when Joe Aribo’s shot trickled past Ipswich goalkeeper Arijanet Muric and into the net. The home fans, who had witnessed only one league win at Portman Road all season, didn’t have to wait long for an equalizer, as top scorer Liam Delap calmly finished on the half-hour mark.

Ipswich squandered several opportunities to take the lead and were punished for their profligacy when Onuachu’s goal in the 87th minute allowed Southampton to reduce the gap to the safety zone to eight points, with Ipswich now seven points ahead in 19th place.

This marked a first victory for Southampton manager Ivan Juric, who took charge on December 21. “I’m really delighted, truly happy for the players and our supporters – they are incredible, and everyone is very happy today,” he said. “Maybe we suffered a bit more today, but we showed character with the ball and secured the win.”

 

The 28-year-old will depart The Hawthorns after completing the academy and is scheduled to have a medical at Portman Road before to the transfer deadline.

Ipswich is reportedly paying up to £5 million in total, while several sources are arguing over the precise amount.

Palmer has played 104 games for West Brom, who are currently sixth in the Championship.

The Baggies decided to let him go because they think Josh Griffiths, Joe Wildsmith, and Ben Cisse, an England Under-19 player, are a good succession plan.

Palmer will fill in for Christian Walton, who will be out for several weeks due to a groin injury, and the Tractor Boys have no intentions to move any other goalkeepers.

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Ipswich Town have an agreement in place with Chelsea to sign young full-back Sotmo Boniface

The Tractor Boys are 19th in the Premier League table with 16 points from 24 games and deep in the relegation struggle.

A full-back has been on McKenna’s agenda in this window and with the winter window set to end today, they have yet to bring one in.

 

Ipswich have Chelsea’s 18-year-old Boniface on their wish list and have approached the Blues for his signature

Boniface is highly rated at the club but has yet to make a senior appearance for Chelsea.

 

Now it has been claimed that they have reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign Boniface.

Ipswich are closing in on their full-back target as the player has to undergo a medical before putting pen to paper.

 

The Tractor Boys are planning to add him to their first-team squad and it remains to be seen whether the youngster will be able to help them in their relegation battle if the deal goes through.

Ipswich are closing in on their full-back target as the player has to undergo a medical before putting pen to paper.

 

The Tractor Boys are planning to add him to their first-team squad and it remains to be seen whether the youngster will be able to help them in their relegation battle if the deal goes through.

 

 

Ivan Juric, the head coach of Southampton, gave tribute to Paul Onuachu and Joe Ayodele-Aribo, two Nigerians, after their goals helped the Saints defeat Ipswich Town by three points yesterday evening, according to Soccernet.ng.

Southampton had only won once in 23 league games this season going into the match at Portman Road, and their dismal play has dropped them to 20th place in the standings.

Ivan Juric praised the Nigerians after they won their first game since he took over as Southampton’s head coach thanks to an early goal from Aribo and a late goal from Onuachu.

It’s an amazing sensation. I believe we played some games that were much better than this one, like Manchester United, and we didn’t lose.

We had some rough patches today, but the players were fantastic, and we earned it. It’s character because we made a strong defense.

We had to make some adjustments due to issues with [Harwood-] Bellis and Jack [Stephens], but I insisted that we have quality, and the second objective is the caliber of Paul [Onuachu] and Deeno (Kamaldeen).

triumph It was a wonderful occasion.

According to statements from Southampton’s official website, the Croatian manager stated, “He [Onuachu] deserved it because he worked hard.

It’s his second goal, but I think he can score more.”

“I think Joe [Aribo] is a great guy; he does everything for the team.” Whether he is in the middle, at the back, or forward, it makes no difference to him.

He played left center back today, and I thought his second half was excellent.

Joe was fantastic today, and we worked really hard.

Even with their victory, Southampton has only nine points from 24 Premier League games and, without a miracle, may be relegated to the EFL Championships.

 

When questioned why Flynn Downes wasn’t included in Southampton’s team for yesterday’s 2-1 victory at Portman Road, manager Ivan Juric responded ambiguously.

Kieran McKenna attempted to entice the former Blues midfielder back to Suffolk last summer, but he was an unexpected absence.

He was an unused substitute in a 3-1 home loss to Newcastle after being substituted at halftime in the team’s 3-2 loss at Nottingham Forest last month.

“He didn’t play today because we had some issues with him during the week,” Juric remarked.

In response to a request for further information, he stated, “No, I’ve said enough.”

After his first six league games as Southampton’s manager ended in defeat, these were Juric’s first points.

To surpass the lowest-ever Premier League point total, the Saints now need one more victory.

They are now seven points away from Ipswich at the bottom of the table. “It is important for the players, for the fans and I think we deserve it,” Juric stated.

“In the past, we played some excellent games against West Ham and Manchester United, but we didn’t win the points.