Premier League 2026-27 preview No 12: Ipswich

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 19th (NB: this is not necessarily Will Unwin’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 2nd (Championship)

Prospects

Back for another crack at the Premier League, the Tractor Boys are taking things very seriously. More than £100m has been spent on 10 new arrivals in an attempt to make the team fit for purpose, something that could not be said two years ago when they were relegated without being competitive after focusing on signing the Championship’s finest. Being the league’s fourth-biggest net spenders has created quiet optimism in Suffolk that things will go better this time. Lessons were learned, even if their galling relegation benefited the careers of Liam Delap and Omari Hutchinson, as the harsh reality of what happens when potential meets proven quality.

Ensuring there is a core of players with Premier League experience has been fundamental. Issa Diop and Sasa Lukic joined from Fulham, while Florentino Luís was snapped up after his baptism at Burnley to give a strong spine. The search for new players has stretched further and wider than in recent seasons, too, in a bid to find better valued talent than is available in England. Luís and Lukic are required to provide physicality and a desire to win the ball back in the centre of the park, although another addition in there would be advantageous.

The new manager, Gary O’Neil, has the right battling qualities and intelligence to keep a side up, explaining why he was the man quickly targeted to replace the outgoing Kieran McKenna, who resigned after securing promotion. The constant cheque-signing may explain the slow start to pre-season, losing to Osasuna, as everyone learned about O’Neil’s methods and demands, but they looked effective against Rayo Vallecano and the return of Julio Enciso will add some much-needed creativity and ingenuity.

If all else fails, Ipswich will at least make history after signing goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen, who at 6ft9 is set to become the Premier League’s tallest ever player.

Off-field picture

Work on a £30m training ground upgrade is close to completion. The regeneration will include a new first-team building, in addition to improved facilities for the academy and women’s team. The construction was seen as necessary to bring the club in line with their rivals and help convince potential signings Suffolk is the place to be. In a rarity, the club’s main shirt sponsor is a local business, the software company Halo. Ed Sheeran, meanwhile, is still represented on the kit with his ‘Play’ featuring on the sleeves.

Owner-fan relationship

Being successful is always good for morale, and members of the Gamechanger 20 ownership group could be found celebrating promotion with fans in the town centre. They have made a number of promises since taking over the club in 2021 and have delivered on them all. The one blot was the decision to invite the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, to Portman Road, which was a PR disaster, creating a needless – and embarrassing – circus around the club, as Ipswich struggled to create a cohesive story about the situation, which was only forgotten thanks to them reaching the Premier League.

The manager

It was a surprise when the universally popular McKenna decided to leave after securing another promotion, forcing some quick thinking to find a replacement. O’Neil has plenty of experience from his time managing Bournemouth and Wolves, added to with a spell at Strasbourg, but has a tough act to follow. Always open and honest, his coaching career has been spent trying to keep teams above the red line. His time at Wolves ended poorly but circumstances dictated much of that as the club failed to invest, something he can’t say in his new role.

Star signing

Emersonn is the record signing, costing £24m from Toulouse, and he has the difficult task of providing the goals that could bring safety, although he is yet to prove himself as a consistent scorer. The 22-year-old is the first Brazilian to play for the Tractor Boys but had to work hard in pre-season to catch up with his colleagues, having arrived lacking the necessary fitness levels. Eager to run in behind, he will be dangerous against teams who leave space. He has all the attributes to excel but it is down to him and the coaches aligning to ensure that this expensive gamble pays off.

Stat attack

Last season, Ipswich were masters of exploiting high turnovers. They generated shots from 22.2% of them, more than double the Championship’s average rate of 10.4%. If O’Neil can maintain this efficiency, it could be Ipswich’s most effective method of creating chances.

Set for a breakthrough

The £17.5m fee for a then 19-year-old showed what Ipswich thought of Sindre Walle Egeli, the son of a former Norwegian lower league footballer. The record goalscorer for Norway at youth level has naturally drawn comparisons to a certain Erling Haaland, who has given advice to his compatriot and may have the chance to offer more in person when Ipswich come up against Manchester City. A boyhood Liverpool fan, his first year in England brought four Championships goals in 18 starts, laying the groundwork as he and his teammates look to step up. Walle Egeli returned after the break in fine shape and has looked promising in the No 10 position under O’Neil, having previously played out wide.

World Cup impact

After suffering a rather pathetic relegation to League One with Leicester, Abdul Fatawu joined up with the Ghana squad for the World Cup. He came on in each of his country’s four matches but playing as a winger for Carlos Queiroz was not particularly fun. The Black Stars were ultra-defensive, scoring only twice as they limped out of the tournament as one of the most forgettable teams involved. Fatawu will be hoping for more creative freedom under O’Neil as he desperately seeks to avoid a third straight relegation.