A £43m star in the making: Ipswich hit gold on “fantastic” McKenna signing
After more than two decades away from the Premier League, what’s another season in the Championship for Ipswich Town?
Kieran McKenna’s side haven’t been able to stave off relegation this year, but considering just how poorly their fellow promoted sides have fared, it would be fair to say that they’ve given it a real go.
Moreover, while goalscoring talisman Liam Delap is probably going to leave in the summer – for a tasty profit, hopefully – there is more than enough talent in this squad to come right back up again.
In fact, there’s even one signing made by the Northern Irishman who looks like a £43m star in the making, thanks to the comparisons he’s won this season.
The Ipswich players who could clinch promotion next year
So, before we get to the player in question, it’s worth looking at those in the squad who could be key to bouncing right back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, such as Leif Davis.
The former Leeds United star might not have had quite the impact in the top flight that some were hoping he’d have, but one thing is certain: he’ll thrive in the second tier.
For example, it was only last season that the Englishman racked up a simply superb tally of two goals and 21 assists in just 43 Championship appearances, which works out to a goal involvement every 1.91 games.
Likewise, while this year has been one blighted by injury, you’d be a fool to bet against Sammie Szmodics when he’s back to full fitness next year.
After all, when playing for Blackburn Rovers in the 2023/24 campaign, the Irishman was an unstoppable force of nature, racking up an outrageous tally of 33 goals and four assists in 48 appearances, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.29 games.
However, another Ipswich ace will almost certainly be playing alongside him, an ace signed by McKenna now being compared to some very valuable stars indeed.
Ipswich’s £43m star in the making
While there are some other talented players at Ipswich who could help make a real difference next year, like Alex Palmer, Ben Johnson, and Conor Chaplin, the star we are talking about is none other than Omari Hutchinson.
The former Chelsea ace joined the Tractor Boys on a permanent £20m deal last summer, and while this season, like for most of his teammates, has had its ups and downs, we know he can perform in the Championship.
For example, he spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Portman Road, where he managed to rack up an impressive enough tally of 11 goals and six assists in 50 games, so with a year of Premier League football under his belt, there is every chance he does even better next season.
Moreover, while he’s not been as prolific as some would’ve hoped, his all-round performances have seen him win comparisons to some seriously talented players, such as Jacob Ramsey.
The comparison primarily stems from FBref, which looks at players in similar positions in the Premier League, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one and, in this instance, has concluded that the Aston Villa star is the fifth most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Blues gem.
The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected and actual goals plus assists, key passes, through balls, carries, shot-creating actions and more, all per 90.
While a comparison to a Champions League player is encouraging enough for the “fantastic” talent’s future prospects, as dubbed by McKenna, it’s also a positive indication of his future valuation.
For example, Football Transfers value the Villa ace at up to €50.3m, which converts to about £43m, and if the Tractor Boys star is so statistically similar to him, why shouldn’t his price tag eventually match as well?
Ultimately, while this season has not gone entirely to plan for Ipswich, they clearly have the talent to bounce right back up next year, and we do not doubt that Hutchinson will have an important role to play.
