adminIpswich Town hailed for signing of the summer who is ‘Premier League quality’ already
The hectic but highly exciting summer transfer window is over and the dust has settled, so it’s time for Graeme Bailey to tell us his top signings from the Championship.
By the end of the window, Championship clubs had spent a massive £320m between them, with Ipswich Town the top-spending team in the division.
Kieran McKenna was given a £51m war chest to reinforce his squad after relegation. While the departures of Liam Delap and Omari Hutchinson are a blow, there’s no denying the Tractor Boys still have one of the strongest teams in the league.
It’s not just Ipswich Town’s new signings that caught our eye, though, with Graeme Bailey highlighting deals made by Watford and Bristol City as being standouts this summer.
Ipswich Town land signing of the summer with Sindre Walle Egeli
Speaking exclusively to EFL Analysis, transfer expert Bailey named his top three signings of the summer in the second tier, with the £17.2m spent on Sindre Wille Egeli coming out as the best of them all.
Bailey said: “Ipswich in the end got Wille Egeli over the line, and he is a sensational signing. He could very well be one of the signings of the summer. I think he’s going to be one of the best players in the Championship.
“It was quality and quantity for Ipswich this summer. I think at some point we’ll just see that make the difference, the sheer quantity of top quality players they brought in. You’ve got Jens Cajuste, Marcelino Nunez, Kasey McAteer, all of whom, fair enough, they may not be Premier League quality but they’re just better than everything else in the Championship.
“I think Sindre Walle Egeli, though, is proper Premier League quality and we’ll see him stand out this season.”
The best signings don’t always have to cost the Earth, though. Bailey also commended Bristol City for the free transfer of Emil Riis, who has already bagged two goals and an assist this season. He’s also a big fan of Nestory Irankunda, who joined Watford from Bayern Munich.
“I think Bristol City had a decent time,” Bailey added. “I think Emil Riis might stand out to be one of the signings of the summer. And one of my picks of the summer was Irankunda, who has started really well at Watford.”
The deal to sign Irankunda was a cheap one for Watford, but there are plenty of sell-on clauses that could bring in a lot more money for Bayern down the line.
Ipswich Town now need to prove big spending was worth it
They may have signed one of the best players in the Championship, but Ipswich Town are still one of five teams in the league without a win this season.
Ipswich sit in 20th place after the draw against Derby County, and McKenna’s pre-season promotion favourites will need to dig deep and change that quickly after the international break.
With £51m spent and ten new arrivals this summer, there is a huge weight of expectation on McKenna and his players. They’ve even had the added bonus of consistency in not having a new manager to settle in, so there’s really no excuse.
We often see the parachute payment teams excel in the season following relegation. However, that money doesn’t always guarantee success; it’s all about how you spend it. On paper it looks like Ipswich have spent wisely, but only time will tell
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