After an enormously frustrating first year under Roy Keane, it’s no surprise that Ipswich Town fans have been hoping for a busy summer of regrouping, remodelling and revitalising following the close of the 2009/10 season. However, things haven’t quite worked out that way.
Fans who might have been expecting a drastic overhaul of an underperforming squad will have been somewhat stunned by the distinct lack of transfer activity at Portman Road. The bulk of what has occurred has been outward bound. Having slipped out of the first team picture following an unconvincing start to the last campaign, Richard Wright‘s second spell at the club was brought to an end having been released by Keane at the end of the season. Reports over the summer have strongly suggested that he is to be reunited with George Burley at Crystal Palace, along with his namesake David Wright who signed for the Eagles in June after his contract expired. The former Wigan full back was not the only defender to be released, with Pim Balkestein also leaving the club after 2 years along with Ed Upson and winger Devann Yao. Having spent most of the 2009/10 season at Millwall, Liam Trotter also departed to join the newly-promoted Lions on a two-year contract.
Other players Town have ‘lost’ over the summer include the Player’s Player of the 2009/10 Season, Jack Colback, who impressed much of the Town faithful during his year at the club. The young midfielder returns to Sunderland with strikers Daryl Murphy (now at Celtic) and David Healy after their loan deals expired. Fellow loanee Liam Rosenior also returns to his parent club Reading. In sum, Town already find themselves with a much smaller squad than they had at the close of the last campaign.
More are tipped to follow too. Whilst somewhat surprisingly showing continued faith (or perhaps hope) for underperforming Hungarian striker Tamas Priskin in electing not to put him up for sale, Keane showed little such patience with Lee Martin, who finds himself as one of eight names on the transfer list after a distinctly underwhelming season following his move from Keane’s old club Manchester United. Fellow 2009 summer signing Colin Healy could also be heading for the door, whilst many former first team regulars from the Jim Magilton era were also made available; Alex Bruce, Pablo Counago, Owen Garvan, Alan Quinn and Jon Stead. One player who probably wouldn’t be missed however is Kevin Lisbie, who occupies the final place on Keane’s unwanted list and who has made no secret of his desire to clinch a permanent return to East Anglian rivals Colchester, where he managed to rediscover his scoring boots whilst on loan throughout the 2009/10 season.
Others have reportedly been targeted. Town followers are likely to be tiring of repeated suggestions that Jon Walters is sought after by Stoke, though perhaps less would stand in his way now than this time last year. Perhaps of greater concern to the majority however would be the possible pursuit of Connor Wickham by some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League having impressed with 4 goals during the 2009/10 Championship campaign. Many reports suggested that Tottenham had been looking to test Keane’s resolve with preparing bids of up to £8m for the England Under-17 international, whilst recent rumours have also linked Arsenal with a move. However, with both Keane and Wickham himself repeatedly insisting that he isn’t going anywhere, it looks as if the 6ft 3in striker could be sticking around after all. (We hope!)
The prompt for further departures however could be Keane’s desire to bring in new faces. Only one player has entered Portman Road over the summer, and even he seemed to sneak in very quietly under the radar. Perhaps it is unsurprising that the understated arrival in question is an Irish ex-Sunderland player – 19-year-old midfielder Conor Hourihane signed a one year deal with the Blues last week. Also able to fill in as cover at left-back, Hourihane arrives as something of an unknown quantity – much like Jack Colback in fact, which perhaps gives us all some hope for what he could offer…!
Sadly, despite a lot of talk, nothing else has materialised. Two players in particular had dominated mentions of Ipswich Town in the gossip pages, with Cardiff’s Michael Chopra seen as the potential ‘missing link’ up front and released Crystal Palace midfielder Shaun Derry tipped to join the Blues. However, Derry was soon snapped up by his former manager Neil Warnock at QPR, while rumours of Town bids for Chopra ranging from £3m to £5.5m all proved unfounded. With Cardiff suffering financial difficulties and having already allowed Joe Ledley to move on to Celtic, there is still some air of expectation that Chopra could yet leave the Bluebirds this summer despite statements to the contrary from the club. Having scored 18 Championship goals last season, the prospect of Chopra linking up with someone like Wickham up front is a thought that has excited many Ipswich fans, but the idea still remains little but a fantasy. Many other players have been linked – Portsmouth’s Steve Finnan, Scunthorpe’s Gary Hooper, Leicester’s DJ Campbell, Peterborough’s George Boyd… but with similarly little in the way of genuine activity to back them up. It has all made for a lot of frustration and a test of patience in a season where expectations are unlikely to diminish and pressure to deliver will only increase.
With less than three weeks to the start of the season and not much longer than that until the end of the transfer window, time seems to be running out for Keane to formulate the squad which can achieve the lofty aims he set himself upon taking the job – and perhaps save him from losing it. However, recent seasons have shown that Ipswich have rarely been quick to indulge in the pre-season player swapping merry-go-round and have often recruited some of the most influential players after the season has already started. Time will tell and many have yet to be convinced that Keane can build a side capable of the promotion challenge we all yearn for. But much like the summer weather, things could heat up very soon…
Having covered the developments off the pitch, stay tuned for the review of Town’s fortunes on the pitch in our summary of Ipswich’s pre-season friendly campaign so far, as well as all the latest news from Portman Road.
How do you feel about the summer transfer activity so far? Are you worried about the lack of signings and the size of the squad, or do you think there is little need for change? Are you pleased about those heading out of the club, or are you concerned that we could lose some key players? Why not join Vital Ipswich and share your views? Or you can have your say on the Vital Ipswich Forums and debate the latest rumours and developments with fellow Town fans. We’re waiting to hear from you!
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