For the majority of Ipswich Town supporters, getting into the Premier League full stop will be seen as an unbelievable achievement, even if the bleakness of relegation envelopes Portman Road very soon.

When Kieran McKenna took over, the Tractor Boys were marooned in League One, two divisions below the promised land.

Now, after two back-to-back promotions, Ipswich have the possibility of Premier League safety on the horizon, with the Suffolk club’s shrewdness in the transfer market another plus point to praise from their whirlwind rise.

Ipswich’s best transfers under Kieran McKenna’s reign

Before a ball was kicked to start McKenna’s first full campaign at the helm, the summer window saw Leif Davis enter the building, joining from Leeds for just £1m.

That has gone down to be a jaw-droppingly good steal, with Davis now worth in the region of £21m – as per Transfermarkt – off the back of picking up a bumper 38 assists from 115 Tractor Boys appearances.

Alongside Davis in the current relegation-threatened camp, the £20m pick-up of Liam Delap also looks to have been a very successful buy, even if it did require the newly promoted side to flex their muscles more than their modest League One dealings.

Indeed, Delap is now being touted to leave Portman Road for double his £20m fee amidst interest from Chelsea, with the ex-Manchester City ace up to ten strikes this term in the league, despite his lowly side regularly struggling to keep their heads above water.

But, it’s not always so rosy at Ipswich when it comes to incomings and outgoings working out, with the Suffolk outfit made to rue letting a homegrown talent go for a mere £1.5m back in 2021.

Former Ipswich star is star now worth 1100% more

Ipswich will surely be planning ahead for this coming summer already as they assess who can make the team stronger. This, of course, will be dependent on whether they’re still battling it out in the top-flight or they’re set for a promotion journey once more.

For either of these scenarios, having ex-academy graduate Flynn Downes back at their disposal would have surely helped, with McKenna’s men looking light in this position past this season ending owing to both Kalvin Phillips and Jens Cajuste being temporary loanees.

This is where Downes could help in the here and now, with the 26-year-old never really sparking into life at Portman Road during the fledging stages of his career, before going on to prove himself away from his boyhood employers.

For both Southampton and Swansea City, Downes would solidify himself as a solid and assured option in the frantic second tier, with the Welsh side selling him for way more than the £1.5m they paid for the ex-Ipswich man at £12m to West Ham United.

His efforts that campaign – which saw him average a calm and cool 93% pass accuracy per league contest – backed up then Saints boss Russell Martin’s claims that the 26-year-old is “incredible”, with Ipswich left to wonder what could have been if they hadn’t signed off on that Swans deal.

With the Suffolk side even reportedly looking at a late deal to bring Downes back to Portman Road deep into the winter window owing to a fall-out at St. Mary’s, there must be a lingering pain still that they did allow him to exit before he fully blossomed.