The Ipswich squad for 2024/25 is enjoying their return to the Premier League, after two decades away.
After the astonishing achievement of successive promotions, Ipswich’s summer has been all about striking the right balance between continuity and change. Personnel-wise, Town must maintain the synergy and cohesion of a group that’s been profoundly successful, while elevating the quality of the squad to a level that’s suitable for the monstrous challenge that lies ahead.
In stretching for that objective, they’ve assembled something of a Championship All-Stars squad, making permanent their loan of Omari Hutchinson last season and adding Jacob Greaves, Jack Clarke and Sammie Szmodics from Hull City, Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers respectively.
Stylistically, they need to keep their core identity, making subtle, pragmatic tweaks with greater defensive emphasis, to ensure they’re prepared for the Premier League.
Tough balancing act? Extremely. But in Kieran McKenna, they at least have the man to deliver it.
They will need to have a Sam Morsy alternative up their sleeve, however, which may be the idea behind recruiting second-tier top scorer Szmodics. Ipswich took 92 points from the 42 games Morsy played in 2023/24, and just four from the four he missed. If the 32-year-old gets suspended more frequently in the Premier League through committing more fouls to deal with the increase in tempo and quality, he might miss more than four games this season.
Announcing themselves back on the Premier League stage against Liverpool and away at Manchester City was a baptism of fire for the Tractor Boys, but holding Fulham to a draw will supply some hope that they can accrue enough points when dodging the big-hitters.
Ipswich squad for 2024/25
Ipswich squad for 2024/25: Kieran McKenna's full team
- GK: Arijanet Muric
- GK: Cieran Slicker
- GK: Christian Walton
- DF: Harry Clarke
- DF: Leif Davis
- DF: Luke Woolfenden
- DF: Cameron Burgess
- DF: Ben Johnson
- DF: Conor Townsend
- DF: Jacob Greaves
- DF: Dara O'Shea
- DF: Axel Tuanzebe
- MF: Sam Morsy
- MF: Wes Burns
- MF: Kalvin Phillips
- MF: Jack Taylor
- MF: Jens Cajuste
- MF: Massimo Luongo
- FW: Conor Chaplin
- FW: Ali Al-Hamadi
- FW: Liam Delap
- FW: Omari Hutchinson
- FW: Chiedozie Ogbene
- FW: Sammie Szmodics
- FW: George Hirst
- FW: Jack Clarke
- FW: Nathan Broadhead
Ipswich squad numbers for 2024/25
| No. | Player | Position |
| 1 | Arijanet Muric | GK |
| 2 | Harry Clarke | DF |
| 3 | Leif Davis | DF |
| 5 | Sam Morsy | MF |
| 6 | Luke Woolfenden | DF |
| 7 | Wes Burns | MF |
| 8 | Kalvin Phillips | MF |
| 10 | Conor Chaplin | FW |
| 12 | Jens Cajuste | MF |
| 13 | Cieran Slicker | GK |
| 14 | Jack Taylor | MF |
| 15 | Cameron Burgess | DF |
| 16 | Ali Al-Hamadi | FW |
| 18 | Ben Johnson | DF |
| 19 | Liam Delap | FW |
| 20 | Omari Hutchinson | FW |
| 21 | Chiedozie Ogbene | FW |
| 22 | Conor Townsend | DF |
| 23 | Sammie Szmodics | FW |
| 24 | Jacob Greaves | DF |
| 25 | Massimo Luongo | MF |
| 26 | Dara O'Shea | DF |
| 27 | George Hirst | FW |
| 28 | Christian Walton | GK |
| 33 | Nathan Broadhead | FW |
| 40 | Axel Tuanzebe | DF |
| 47 | Jack Clarke | FW |
Ipswich manager
Kieran McKenna
Sirs Alf Ramsey and Bobby Robson kick-started their decorated managerial careers at Ipswich: Kieran McKenna can do likewise. His team look well-prepared to deal with turnovers, while still being extremely inventive. Meticulously detail-driven, McKenna’s quality of preparation always comes across. An elite career beckons.
Ipswich's key player
Leif Davis
Quick, direct left-backs are hard to come by, aren’t they Gareth? Leif Davis’ stamina is incredible, and he has the composure when he gets into dangerous areas to execute quality deliveries, notching a whopping 18 assists last season. FPL devotees, take note.
One to watch
Luke Woolfenden
“I was waking up most mornings wanting to be anywhere but Ipswich”, homegrown defender Luke Woolfenden told the EADT in 2022, speaking of his time before McKenna came in when he was frozen out.
“I was coming in for training in a bad mood and I’m never in a bad mood. That’s not me. I was hating coming to football.” John McGreal changed that, though, when he came in as caretaker.
“He walked over in training and put his arm around me. He told me that I should at the very least be playing here and that I should be playing in a higher league.”
Now he is. From that moment on, Woolfenden hasn’t looked back, becoming one of the first names on the team-sheet during the club’s incredible rise under McKenna, instrumental in last season’s promotion. “Everyone needs a bit of love sometimes.” Amen, Luke.
The mood
Initial euphoria, after securing promotion. Then apprehension, when McKenna was heavily linked with high-profile jobs. Relief, when the Northern Irishman inked a long-term contract. Now, eager anticipation…
View from the stands
Phil Ham (@TWTDuk)
Last season was ridiculously brilliant.
This season will be different because we’re back in the Premier League for the first time in 22 years.
Our key player will be Leif Davis, whose form will probably be more key than anyone’s. The left-back picked up 18 assists last season, a new record in the Championship for a defender, and takes most of our set pieces.
Our most underrated player is Cameron Burgess, who came in from Accrington in the summer of 2021 and has established himself as a key man at the back over the last couple of years. Also scored the vital winner at Coventry in the penultimate match last season.
Fans think our owner is terrific. Gamechanger 20 Ltd – whose largest shareholder is PSPRS, Arizona’s police and fire service pension fund – took over in April 2021 and it’s been a swift rise back to the Premier League since then.
The opposition player I'd love here is Crysencio Summerville – he was TWTD readers’ favourite player from another club last season and he’d be a great addition.
The pantomime villain will be VAR, most probably – one thing few of us are looking forward to in the Premier League.
The thing my club really gets right is most stuff at the moment, to be honest. The club is being rebuilt as a whole after years of stagnation under former owner Marcus Evans.
The one change I'd make would be a new stand to replace the 50-plus-year-old Cobbold Stand. We could have sold many more season tickets this season.
Our season ticket prices are fair enough, according to most.
The fans' opinion of the gaffer is that Kieran McKenna couldn’t be more popular and the best news of the summer was him signing a new deal, tying him to the club until 2028 after interest from Brighton, Chelsea and Manchester United. Players almost universally rate him as the best coach they’ve worked under and he’s taken the club from the middle of League One to the Premier League in two and a bit years. He’ll eventually manage one of the bigger clubs.
We'll finish 15th. Simple survival will be the aim, but it would be nice to be secure a couple of weeks before the end of the season to avoid one of those nervy final days.
