Five senior players are set for their loan spells away from Ipswich Town to come to an end. Stuart Watson assesses their chances of being in Kieran McKenna’s plans next season.
What history suggests…
Ipswich sent six senior players out on loan during the 2023/24 Championship promotion winning season – Corrie Ndaba (Kilmarnock), Elkan Baggott (Bristol Rovers), Idris El Mizouni (Leyton Orient), Kyle Edwards (Oxford Utd), Freddie Ladapo (Charlton), Gassan Ahadme (Cambridge Utd).
Only one of those – Baggott – is still at the club.
Left-footed defender Ndaba, following seven loan spells away, joined Kilmarnock permanently for an undisclosed fee.
Midfielder El Mizouni, following four loan spells away, signed for newly-promoted championship club Oxford United for £400k. Town took their 12 month extension option in his contract in order to get a fee.
Winger Edwards saw his contract terminated by mutual consent in January 2024 and subsequently joined Oxford on a one-year deal. He’s now at Stevenage.
Striker Ladapo, who played a big role in Town’s League One promotion, also left by mutual consent. He subsequently signed for third-tier side Huddersfield.
Front man Ahadme, following two loans spells away, signed for Charlton for a fee of £1m plus add-ons. That represented profit of around £700k for a player who made just one start for the Blues.
Going out on loan, generally speaking, is normally the first step out the door. Then again, things can be different when you drop a division.
The last time Town went down, in 2019, Luke Woolfenden and Janoi Donacien returned from loan spells to ignite their careers at the club in League One.
What’s been said…
George Edmundson and Marcus Harness both played important roles in Town’s Championship promotion. After both were loaned out late in last summer’s transfer window, Blues boss Kieran McKenna said: “Players always go with our best wishes. And when you go on loan it certainly doesn’t mean that it’s the end of your time at a football club. Sometimes it’s just the right thing for players to go and get minutes.”
It’s understood the Blues discussed the possibility of a new deal for centre-back Edmundson, following an impressive first half of the campaign for Middlesbrough, but an agreement could not be reached and he was subsequently sold to the north east club for £600k plus add-ons. The 27-year-old had been set to enter the final six months of his contract at Portman Road.
Earlier this month, Under-21s left-back Somto Boniface was promoted to the first team bench due to injuries/suspension. Asked if there would be more opportunities for academy players going forwards, McKenna replied: “As is the case at most clubs, the players most ready to step into the first team are usually out on loan if they’re not with your first-team group already.
“We’ve got some good players out on loan who will come back into the reckoning in pre-season. We’ll have another look at them with the first-team squad and make decisions.”
So, let’s have a look at those five senior players returning from spells away…
HARRY CLARKE
Time at Town: Nobody celebrated harder than Harry Clarke when Ipswich secured their place in the Premier League. The difficult decision to leave Arsenal and return to his hometown club in January 2022 had been fully justified. The adventurous right-back played a key role in back-to-back promotions.
This season: Double Achilles surgery wasn’t ideal preparation for his first proper taste of the Premier League. Then, when Axel Tuanzebe’s freak thumb injury opened the door in October, an unfortunate full top flight debut saw him claim an ‘unwanted hat-trick’ of own goal, penalty concession and red card. Never mind that there was a major sense of misfortune with all three elements (the own goal eventually got given to Yoanna Wissa, the VAR awarded penalty was contentious and the second yellow card didn’t look a foul), the mocking national headlines had been written.
In total, he made eight appearances for the Blues in the first half of the campaign. In December, with Tuanzebe sidelined again, he started games against Crystal Palace (1-0 home defeat), Wolves (2-1 away win) and Newcastle (4-0 home loss). A tough afternoon against the Magpies led to Dara O’Shea being preferred at right-back.
Loan spell: In January, it was decided that Clarke would best be served spending the second half of the season out on loan. He had plenty of suitors, but ended up joining promotion-chasing Sheffield United.
A recurring foot injury has limited the 24-year-old to just six appearances for the Blades. He’s now back at Ipswich for treatment and will have to watch on as Chris Wilder’s men try to secure a return to the Premier League via the play-offs.
Competition: There’s every chance that Tuanzebe turns down a new deal and joins a Premier League club as a free agent this summer, January loan signing Ben Godfrey certainly won’t be returning, while Ben Johnson has recently been linked to Fulham. Even if Johnson stays, he may be seen as a more of a winger than full-back.
Contract: Until 2026. Ipswich have the option to extend until 2027.
Verdict: Clarke’s proven in the Championship and a lively character who can help lift the group after a brutal campaign. I really hope he can get a good pre-season under his belt. I think he stays. Whether he’s a regular starter next season is another matter.
ELKAN BAGGOTT
Time at Town: Left-footed centre-half – an Indonesian international – has made seven senior appearances for Town (two in the league) since emerging from the academy.
He’s previously had loan spells at King’s Lynn (National League), Gillingham (league Two), Cheltenham (League One) and Bristol Rovers (League One).
Loan spell: Went on loan to a third-tier club for a third successive season when joining Blackpool last summer. Signed under Neil Critchley, soon worked under interim boss (and recent Town player Richard Keogh) before Steve Bruce took charge in September.
Injury set-backs, including ankle and thigh, have made for a frustratingly stop-start season made up of 17 starts and three sub appearances.
Bruce, a top centre-back for Manchester United during the 80s and 90s, enthused: “He’s a smashing lad and a smashing pro. Unfortunately, with the injuries he’s had, it’s not gone as well as everyone would’ve hoped.
“There’s no doubt at all in my mind, he’s going to go on to be a very decent defender.”
Competition: Jacob Greaves will, almost certainly, be Town’s starting left-sided centre-back next season. The big question is whether Cameron Burgess, out of contract this summer and linked with a move to Spanish club Girona, stays to provide competition.
Contract: Out of contract this summer, though Ipswich have the option to extend by a further 12 months.
Verdict: I’ve always liked what I’ve seen of Baggott. He’s big, calm on the ball and left-footed – rare commodities when combined.
Even if Burgess goes though – and that’s a big ‘if’ – I’m not sure the 22-year-old has done enough this season to become part of the defensive unit at this juncture.
My gut feeling is Ipswich will take up the 12-month extension, try another loan spell before assessing the situation next January.
CAMERON HUMPHREYS
Time at Town: Midfielder made his senior debut at 17 and played an important supporting role in Town’s League One promotion season. McKenna, impressed with the youngster’s attitude and ability, kept him around in 2023/24 for in-house development. Having made 24 starts and 15 sub appearances for the Blues, he was sent out on loan to experience regular football last summer.
Loan spell: After careful consideration, Ipswich decided that Wycombe, under the management of former Blues youth teamer Matt Bloomfield, was the best place for Humphreys to consider his development.
It proved to be a wise choice. Bloomfield may have left for Luton in January, but the Chairboys kept up an unlikely automatic promotion push. It was only in the final weeks of the campaign that they slipped to fifth.
Humphreys has been at the heart of that success, providing six goals and seven assists. Dubbed ‘The Suffolk Messi’ by fans, he was recently named Supporters’ Player of the Year.
Wycombe will now take on Charlton over a two-legged play-off semi-final.
Competition: Wycombe have largely used Humphreys as a No.10, but McKenna sees the cultured left-footer’s future in a deeper midfield slot. Jens Cajuste and Massimo Luongo look set to depart this summer, which would leave Humphreys vying with Jack Taylor for that box-to-box role. Recruitment could obviously come into play.
Contract: 2026. Ipswich have the option to extend by a further year.
Verdict: McKenna and the Ipswich players all speak so highly of Humphreys. It feels like his pathway has purposefully not been blocked. Naturally drawn to the left, has the fitness to get up and down and has developed his attacking game this season – to me, Humphreys looks perfectly suited for the No.8 position in this Town team.
This is a big call, but I can honestly see the 21-year-old taking a shirt at some stage and not letting it go. Wouldn’t it be great, after all the money that’s been spent, to see an academy graduate properly break through?
MARCUS HARNESS
Time at Town: Signed by Paul Cook for £750k from Portsmouth in 2022, Harness may have dropped behind Nathan Broadhead in the inside-left pecking order but still played an important role in back-to-back promotions.
He featured in 34 of Town’s 46 league games during the Championship promotion season – albeit 27 of those appearances were off the bench – scoring a late winner against Plymouth at Portman Road a point-saving late brace at Birmingham.
This season: Came on as a sub in Town’s opening Premier League games against Liverpool and Man City, as well at the League Cup exit at AFC Wimbledon.
Loan spell: Couldn’t make much of an impact in the first half of the season at a struggling Derby side, but form vastly improved after John Eustace replaced Paul Warne in February. He enjoyed being moved into a more advanced central role.
Harness ended 24/25 with four goals, three assists and 11 yellow cards to his name. The Rams finished one point above the drop zone.
Competition: Town will not be short of left-10 options next season. Sammie Szmodics, Jack Clarke and Broadhead have all played that role this season, while Jaden Philogene’s preferred position is there too.
Contract: Out of contract this summer, though Town have the option to extend by 12 months.
Verdict: Town will take up their extension option and cash in on the 29-year-old.
ALI AL HAMADI
Time at Town: Signed from League Two side AFC Wimbledon in January 2024 for a fee of £1m+. Liverpool-born, Iraq international instantly endeared himself to supporters with his work rate and passion, scoring four goals in the Championship promotion push.
This season: Town’s failure to sign another striker late in the transfer window meant Al-Hamadi, whose pre-season was disrupted by groin surgery, was called upon for 11 sub appearances in the first half of the Premier League campaign. Understandably, it looked a little too much for a player who had climbed so far, so quickly and who was playing catch up with fitness. A fluffed penalty in the League Cup win against Bristol Rovers solidified a sense a loan spell away would be the best next step.
Loan spell: Stoke beat several Championship clubs to his loan signature. The 23-year-old scored two goals in 15 appearances for a side that finished two points above the drop zone. In one game he was hooked at the break by Mark Robins for ‘looking a little hot-headed’ on a booking. He recently took to social media to tell Potters fans he ‘felt the love’.
Competition: Liam Delap will almost certainly depart this summer, leaving George Hirst to step up as the main striker. Town will have to sign another front man to compete.
Contract: 2028
Verdict: Ali’s energy – both on and off the pitch – is infectious. He’s undoubtedly raw, and not yet a top end Championship striker, but I don’t think his Ipswich story is over. I’d like to see how much he can improve under Kieran McKenna. Can see him sticking around as a third-choice striker next season, making some chaotic crowd-lifting contributions off the bench.
