£100m Ipswich Town makes claim when finance expert issues warning following Premier League elevation

admin | May 10, 2024 | Other Clubs | No Comments

Ipswich Town is the first side to secure back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League since Southampton in 2012.

The vast majority of Kieran McKenna’s Tractor Boys players who have been promoted to the top level were also part of the 2022/23 team that won promotion from League One to the Championship.

McKenna’s men have exciting times ahead, with away trips to historic Premier League grounds such as Manchester United’s Old Trafford and Liverpool’s Anfield.

However, the Suffolk club will not enter the top division simply to make up the numbers; instead, its primary goal will be to survive in the league.

In order to do so, the Tractor Boys must have a successful summer transfer window, and their new Premier League status will allow them to recruit players who would not have joined the club as a Championship team.

According to TeamTalk, McKenna and co. are interested in signing Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah, and the Tractor Boys would not be able to sign a player who has played Champions League football this season if they were still in the second tier during the 2024/25 season.

Finance expert delivers Tractor Boys financial warning after promotion

Dr Rob Wilson, a football finance expert and Professor of Economics at Sheffield Business School, informed Football League World that Ipswich could spend more than £100 million.

According to OLBG, budgets are supplied throughout the season, therefore Ipswich could technically spend more than £100 million if they wanted to.

“They can absolutely be aggressive if they want to.”

That, however, goes against advise, and Dr Wilson believes Ipswich’s owners will not run before they can walk in the top flight.

He went on to say, “But I would never advise that; as an analyst, my advice is always to gradually build and sign players you know will have a future, rather than aging players who will produce results in the short term.”

“Ipswich are a good club that seems to be structured in the right way, so I would expect them to build sensibly and bank a lot of money to reinvest in infrastructure.”

Ipswich should look to sign players with Premier League experience

The Tractor Boys definitely have an extremely good group of players, as they have gained 194 points and scored 193 goals in the 2022/23 League One and 2023/24 Championship seasons.

However, the Premier League is a whole different beast, therefore McKenna should try to bring players with top-flight experience to Portman Road this summer.

If the Suffolk club can sign Nketiah, it will be a solid start to their transfer window, as the forward has made over 100 Premier League games.

Furthermore, the Gunners forward is 24-years-old, which matches the profile of a player Wilson believes the Tractor Boys might nurture.

In addition, Fabrizio Romano stated that Chelsea may be willing to let Omari Hutchinson leave Stamford Bridge on loan once more, while McKenna’s team is eager to keep the dangerous wideman in Suffolk.

A renewed loan deal for Hutchinson would be a great piece of business for the Tractor Boys, as he has thrived at Portman Road, scoring 10 goals and assisting five more during the 2023/24 Championship season, and he is a talented player they could keep without having to pay a transfer fee.